My Last First Date
by scribeninja
Summary: Sookie and Alcide literally bump into each other in a grocery store and sparks fly. All Human. Sookie/Alcide pairing. M for lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**After falling in love with Alcide while writing GoGI, I kind of figured I'd write an Alcide/Sookie one-shot for fun, and here it is! Alcide has always been my number two after Eric. But, because Eric is kind of a trump card for any story... well, unless he's gay and I just can't do that... so in this story Eric just doesn't exist. It was the easiest way to do it. This is just a fluffy, All-Human, fun-fest. **

**This is dedicated to Krismom, Alcide's biggest fan. Well, _my_ Alcide's biggest fan. I only started writing this for her, and she's awesomesauce! I hope you love it sweetie *hugs* Also to ARedheadThing, who is also a huge Alcide fan, but she's stuck with Sam because Krismom won't share. Can't _really_ blame her though; Alcide is a catch. **

**Big thank you to Galla for beta'ing this for me. You're an effing genius! More thanks to Pix for the same, especially for doing it in pieces as I wrote, and for giving me the idea for a certain car wash scene ;-)**

**All that said, I hope everyone enjoys!**

* * *

**My Last First Date**

"Alcide Herveaux," he introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Sookie Stackhouse," I said shyly, shaking the hand of the giant of a man who'd just bumped into me and subsequently helped me pick up the groceries I was carrying.

"I wish I could say I was sorry for bumping into you, but I don't think I can," he said with a grin that was somehow sweet as well as devilishly sexy.

I know I blushed at that, and tried to figure out how to reply, but he chuckled. It was a deep, rumbling sound, and I enjoyed it immensely.

"What are you doing right now?" he asked after a moment.

I glanced down at the items I was carrying and looked back up and up and up into his amazingly green, amused eyes.

"Shopping…" I said.

"And when you're done?" he smiled.

"Going home to relax on my day off."

"How would you like to go out with me instead?" he asked. "On a date."

"I don't exactly know you, Mr. Herveaux," I said with a charming smile. I was lying. I knew exactly who Alcide Herveaux was; I'd just never met him before.

"That's why I want to take you on a date. I'd like to get to know you, and I'd like you to get to know me."

I stayed silent for a moment longer, wanting to see how much he really wanted to take me out.

"I'd be willing to meet you there if it would make you feel more comfortable," he said.

Surprising. I assumed he would play the everyone-knows-who-I-am card, but he didn't. Very interesting. Still, I wasn't sure I wanted him to come pick me up, considering we'd only just met.

"Just where are you planning to take me?" I asked coyly.

He couldn't suppress a huge grin from forming on his beautiful lips.

"I'd like to take you for dinner and dancing," he said. "There's a great place in Shreveport that has good food and even better salsa music."

"You know where Hummingbird Road is?" I asked.

"Yes, I do."

"I live at the end of it. You can pick me up at six," I said, and began to walk around him.

"I'll be there," he said, his eyes on me, smiling with his happiness.

I finished my shopping with a giddy grin on my face the entire time. I only had to grab a couple more items, and then I paid for them and took them out to my car. My _wonderful_ car… which decided not to start. Frustrated, I got out and opened the hood. Before I could check anything under the hood I heard a loud truck pull up and stop in front of my space. I turned around with a grin.

"Why Mr. Herveaux, are you following me?"

"Please, call me Alcide," he said as he got out of the truck.

"Okay, Alcide it is then," I said with a smile.

"What seems to be the problem?" he asked, looking under the hood.

"No idea. It does this from time to time. I'm saving up for a new one."

"How long does it usually take to get it up and running?"

"As long as it takes for my brother to get around to fixing it."

"Well, in that case… I'm no mechanic, so maybe I should give you a ride home while your brother comes out to take care of your car. Let me be clear, though… I really just want to spend more time with you."

"I admire your honesty, Alcide," I said. "And I'd love that ride home."

He was the perfect gentleman, grabbing my bags from my car and loading them into the truck before opening the passenger door and helping me in.

"What kind of music do you like?" he asked.

"What does any born and bred southern belle like?"

"Good country," he said, and turned on the radio. "So you fancy yourself a southern belle?"

"Are you insinuating that I'm not?" I asked, feigning offense.

"Oh, of course not. That would be ungentlemanly of me. Though, I have to admit that I'm not planning on being a perfect gentleman when I dance with you tonight. I won't be able to help myself."

"So long as you promise to be a gentleman before and after the dancing, then I think we'll be just fine."

I loved his light-hearted nature, and I couldn't wait to dance with him. I couldn't sing if my life depended on it, but I loved to dance. Alcide was a tall guy, and I could tell he was rather toned under his clothes, so I couldn't wait to see how he held up on a dance floor.

"Scout's honor," he said, placing his hand over his heart.

I laughed, and then he laughed. It was the sexiest sound I'd ever heard. A couple of minutes later, he pulled down my road.

"That your house?" he asked as the old two-story came into view.

"Yes it is," I said.

"Looks like a section of it was added on sometime in the last few decades," he observed.

"That your carpenter brain working?" I asked, and he gave me a surprised look. "Oh, come on now, everyone knows who Alcide Herveaux of Herveaux and Sons Construction is."

"You've known who I was this whole time?" he asked, a little put out.

"I didn't recognize you from looking at you, if that's what you mean. It actually took me a few minutes to place the name. I was a little surprised that I was being flirted with by the man who almost knocked me down," I said, pleased when his smile returned.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I meet a lot of girls who are only interested because of how I look, and then they find out my name and are only interested because of how I look _and_ because of how my bank account looks," he said sadly.

"Well, I'm not exactly the fancy type of girl you're probably used to," I confessed. "And I have no right to be judging others on the size of their bank accounts."

"Who said I like the kind of girls I'm used to?" he asked, grinning at me.

"I suppose you'll just have to prove that to me," I said, and he chuckled as he hopped out of the truck and came over to my side to help me down. He reached into the bed and pulled out all of my bags, gesturing that he'd carry them in for me. I unlocked the back door and let him follow me into the kitchen.

"You can set those down on the table," I said.

"Here you go."

"Thank you, kind sir."

"You're welcome, good lady," he said playfully, bowing at me slightly. "I will see you at six o'clock, and I won't be late."

"I look forward to it."

He shot me one last grin, and then he was out the door. After the sound of his truck faded into the distance, I let out the girly squeal I'd been holding in, but just as I was getting to the jumping up and down part, I heard a knock at the door. An urgent one. I calmed myself immediately and went to see who it was.

"Bill, what on earth are you doing here?" I opened the screen door for him, and he came inside quickly.

"Why was Alcide Herveaux here?" he asked, sweating and breathing heavily from the run he'd obviously taken from his house.

"I met him at the grocery store and he gave me a ride when my car broke down, which reminds me, I need to call Jason," I said, heading for the phone.

Jason picked up after a couple of rings, and I told him where my car was. He said he'd take care of it. When I hung up, I remembered that Bill was a guest, so I invited him to the kitchen for some sweet tea.

"So he was just giving you a ride?" he asked as he sat down at the kitchen table, watching me put up groceries.

"Yes, and he also asked me out for dinner and dancing tonight," I informed him.

"Did you say yes?"

"Of course I did; I'm not attached to anyone else," I said, giving him a pointed look.

"Sookie…"

"Oh come on now, Bill. We've talked about this too much. You and I tried the relationship thing and it didn't work. We're better as friends."

"You can't _ever_ see yourself with me again?" he asked.

"No, and once upon a time, you told me the same thing. You've had a couple of girlfriends since we were together, and you always do this when you break up with one. You just need to find a new girl. Now, there's a new waitress at Merlotte's named Lorena, and I think you two will hit it off. Why don't you go have dinner there tonight?"

"Oh fine," he huffed. "What's this Lorena woman like?"

I smiled and told Bill all about the new waitress as I finished putting things away and started fixing myself lunch. By the time he left, he had a smile on his face, a spring in his step, and a stomach craving Merlotte's food for dinner.

I had a light lunch, cleaned up the house, and then did some gardening before heading in to get ready for my date with Alcide. I took a long, hot shower and shaved all the appropriate parts. I may not be a hussy, but I would be lying if I said I was disinclined to be with Alcide in that way. Who knew? He could very well turn out to be the man of my dreams. Always be prepared, that's what I was taught.

I decided on my dark red sundress, since it would be the most appropriate for salsa dancing, and then I did my hair. I decided on soft waves, leaving it down, and then put on a little bit of makeup—but not too much, since I'd most likely be sweating it all off anyway. By the time I was finished, it was six on the dot, and I heard a knock on the door, which I smiled at. I loved a prompt man.

"You look stunning," he said as his eyes drank me in.

My eyes were doing the same thing. He was wearing a pair of light-colored jeans and a dark blue button down dress shirt; his sleeves were pushed up his arms slightly, and his top couple of buttons were undone.

"You're not so bad yourself," I smirked.

He smiled and handed me a bouquet of white lilies that I hadn't noticed before.

"For the southern belle," he said.

"Thank you. Let me put these in water and grab my purse and I'll be ready to go," I said and returned in three minutes, ready to go on my first date in two years.

Alcide helped me into his truck again, and turned on the country music when we got on the road.

"Were you able to get ahold of your brother to take care of your car?" he asked.

"Yes, he'll have it back to me in the morning."

"Do you like Mexican food?"

"Yes, I do."

"You know, we haven't even gotten through part of the date yet, and I'm already hoping you'll go out on a second one with me," he confessed, and I must say that I believed him. I'd always been good at reading people, and Alcide was being completely honest.

"I may hold out on that judgment for a bit longer…" I teased.

He laughed again. "I suppose I'll just have to charm you until you agree to go out with me again. I'm a patient man, but I don't give up."

"Good to know," I said.

We talked the whole way to Shreveport, mostly about his family and how he liked what he did. I found out that his family was very close, and he had one brother and a sister named Janice. He couldn't say enough good things about her, and I took that as a positive. He respected women. Apparently she owned a beauty shop in Shreveport, and Alcide said he knew she'd love me.

"Now, this is just the first date, and you already want to introduce me to your sister?"

He glanced at me a couple times, and then paused for a moment before answering, "Kinda."

I laughed. "Well, I would love to meet your sister, but who knows… by the end of this night, you may be rushing to drop me off and trying to put me out of your memory."

"I really don't think that's possible," he smiled.

Shortly after that, we arrived at the restaurant, and he came around to help me down from the truck again. We went inside and were seated quickly. I got the feeling that it wasn't because of who Alcide was, but simply because the restaurant staff was efficient.

We sat down and ordered our drinks. I thought about ordering something alcoholic, but decided against it. One would turn into many, and I had a feeling I'd want to remember the whole night and not worry that I'd done anything under the influence. A few minutes later, we both ordered our food, and then we started talking again.

"So we talked about me and my family the whole way here; now let's hear about you," he said.

"There's not much to tell. I work as a waitress at Merlotte's, and to make extra money, I bake for people."

"What kinds of things do you bake?"

"All sorts of things. My Gran, who passed two years ago, taught me everything," I said.

"I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother," he said sincerely.

"Thank you. She was a great woman. Raised me and my brother since I was eight after our parents died in a car accident."

"I'm sorry to hear about that, too. You've experienced a lot of loss in your life," he said, his brow furrowed.

"I have, but I don't look at it as a negative. I know my parents and my Gran loved me. I have a roof over my head, a car that works sometimes, a job that lets me be around people, and another job that lets me do something I love. I can't afford much, but I'm happy with what I have. I'm healthy. There's not really much more to ask for."

"What about love?" he asked.

"When it comes, I'll accept it with open arms, and I'm perfectly willing to wait for it," I said, and he smiled.

"So, tell me about this baking business," he said.

"It started as a favor for a woman I work with. She needed a birthday cake for her son, and forgot to order one from the store. I offered to bake it for her, and it was a hit. People around here have always loved my family's baked goods, and I finally figured out that they're willing to pay for them. I make the most famous sheet cake in five parishes."

"Oh really? What makes is so famous?"

"Have you ever heard of a Texas sheet cake?" I asked.

"That's the really moist chocolate one, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, my grandmother had a variation on that recipe, and it's even better. It's the thing I get the most requests for. I might have to make one just so you can try it."

"I think I'd like that."

"The holidays are really fun. Sam, my boss, gives me a couple weeks off work, and I get to stay home and make goodies. The folks around town spread the word, and I get all kinds of orders. This last year I got three here in Shreveport. I know that's nothing special, but knowing people are enjoying something I put time, effort, and love into is a great feeling."

"You know, my mother always gets those store-bought cookies and treats for the holidays. She even sends them out to our clients," he laughed. "I'll bet you anything she'd love to be able to send them something homemade."

"I suppose I'll have to give her my number," I smiled.

"I think you'd better give me your number first. I know where you live; it's only right that I have your phone number too," he smirked.

"I'll think about that."

Our food came then, and as we ate, we talked about all sorts of things. He asked me more about me, and I was very pleased about that. I'm not a narcissist, but I'd never had a guy actually be interested in what I had to say about myself. We talked about movies and books, and what we liked to do in our spare time. It was wonderful.

When we finished eating, Alcide paid the bill and then stood up and offered me his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

I placed my small hand in his large one, and stood up.

"I would love to."

The dance floor was packed, and the music was loud. Alcide let me lead him to a good spot in the crowd, and then I turned to face him.

"Are you sure you can dance?" I asked loudly, trying to make my voice carry over the music. He didn't answer me, though; he simply smirked as one of his huge hands went to my waist and pulled me flush against him as the other grasped my hand. I took a breath and grinned as he started to move.

For his size, Alcide was an amazing salsa dancer. He could spin me and dip me, and he even lifted me a couple of times. I felt like we were the only two dancers on the floor; that's how captivated he had me. It was like the music was pumping through my veins, and I let go. I let myself feel loose and free and fun. I forgot about everything else in my life and lived purely in that moment. It was fantastic.

I'm not sure how many fast songs we danced to, because they all seemed to merge into one really long song, but suddenly the music slowed way down. We both stopped moving for a few moments, and I stared into his eyes as he pulled me against him once more.

We were both still breathing heavily as we moved together, and I could smell the spiciness of our meal on his breath. It was mixed with the smell of his soap and his sweat. It all combined into one amazing smell that I never wanted to forget.

He began to move in time to the music, and I moved with him. His strong hands and arms manipulated my body when he bent me backwards, and he took the opportunity to place a kiss on my extended neck that left my skin burning and forced an unintentional moan from my throat. Then I was flush against him once more, moving back when he moved forward. I ground my hips into him and smirked when he hitched my leg up around his outer thigh in response. I was very pleased with the groan that came from him when that happened. I was also pleased with the _excitement_ I felt when it happened.

We both stopped moving at that moment, our lips only a few inches apart. He began to lean down, but before our lips could touch, something caught his eye, and he pulled back with a look of annoyance on his face.

"Dammit," he muttered, and looked down at me urgently. "We have to go, okay?"

"Why?"

"I'll explain in a second," he said, and took my hand and led me off the dance floor and out the front door. I was internally grateful that I'd forgotten my purse in his truck. He was still a perfect gentleman, and helped me into the passenger side before running around and hopping in. He started up the truck and before I knew it, we were on the highway again.

I just stared at him, still breathing heavily from the dancing and the almost-kiss as well as the quick departure, and waiting for an explanation.

"I'm so sorry, Sookie. I spotted my ex-girlfriend in there, and I didn't want her to ruin our night. She's kind of crazy. I guess there's no kind of to it; she's nuts. She's engaged to another guy, and every time she sees me she still tries to get with me. And if I'm with a girl… I just don't want her to scare you off," he said nervously.

Now, any average girl would assume that his explanation was a cover-up, and that he was actually cheating on his girlfriend, "the psycho," and had to get out of there before she spotted him. But I remembered the look in his eyes when he spotted her. It was annoyance, not fear.

"I want to kiss you," I said, my breathing finally returning to normal.

He glanced at me a couple of times, perhaps to see if I was serious, and then he smoothly pulled into an automatic car wash. I stared at him as he put some money into the machine and distractedly pushed a button. He rolled up his window, and I rolled up mine, and then he inched in until the light turned red. Fortunately, my light had just turned green. I watched as he put the truck in park, and then he took off his seatbelt. I did the same, and just as the water hit the truck, we attacked each other.

My hands were in his hair, and his immediately went to my waist, pulling me close. His lips were very skilled, as was his tongue. Before I knew it, I was straddling him in the driver's seat and feeling very thankful that he had long legs, so the seat was pushed back all the way. I moaned when his hands gripped my butt (outside the dress, thank you very much) and pulled me as close to him as I could get.

We kept kissing, sucking mindlessly on each other's tongues until I thought he'd swallow me whole. I had never been kissed with so much heat, so much passion. I was on fire, and nowhere near ready for it to be put out.

Just as we were beginning to grind against each other, a car horn honked loudly, and we broke apart, both of us cursing under our breaths. I was still on his lap when the honk came again. I groaned and sat back in the passenger seat. Alcide put the truck in drive and pulled us out of the car wash and back onto the highway.

We were both out of breath again, and I wasn't sure what to say. "Hey, thanks for the amazing kiss. I think I need to change my panties now." Yeah, not going to happen. Thankfully, his brain seemed to be working better than mine.

"How about some ice cream?" he asked.

"That sounds great," I said, and rolled down my window to let the warm night air into the cab. It didn't thin out the sexual tension between us, but it helped my breathing get back to normal.

A few minutes later, we pulled into a Coldstone's ice cream shop. Once more, Alcide helped me out of the truck, but this time he took my hand after shutting the door. I smiled and laced our fingers together as we walked into the shop. We both got our ice cream in a waffle cone, and I couldn't help but laugh as we sat down outside to eat it.

"What?" he asked.

"I think you have every candy known to man in that cone," I said.

"Says the girl who could have had anything put in her ice cream and just chose mint chocolate chip," he teased.

"What can I say? I'm easy to please," I said, allowing the heat from earlier back into my voice. He gave me a heated look through his smile, and then chuckled as he went back to his ice cream.

After we finished the treat, which cooled my physical temperature, but not my mental one, Alcide threw our trash out and we got back into the truck.

"I suppose I'd better take you home," he said in a disappointed voice.

"Then I should tell you what my judgment is," I smiled, and he looked confused. "On that second date," I clarified.

"Do tell," he smiled.

"If the offer is still on the table, then yes, I'd love a second date with you."

"It is most definitely still on the table, but I may want to renegotiate and make that second date offer into a second, third, and fourth date bundle." He was smirking again.

"Ambitious, are you?"

"All it takes is two to fall in love with me, so why not go for four and make sure you'll never want to be without me?"

I laughed long and hard at that, and thankfully, he understood that I wasn't poking fun and laughed with me.

"I think I'll have to take a gamble and accept the offer," I said.

"I knew I had you pegged for a risk taker, despite your safe ice cream choices," he said, causing me to laugh again.

On the drive back to my house we talked more, and I found myself thinking about inviting him in for the night. I felt like I was at the end of a two-year dry spell, and it wasn't like we didn't have more dates planned. Alcide was a sincere guy, and I decided that if he tried to keep himself from going in, then that would be my clue. He wanted me; I knew that much from feeling what was in his pants just from our dancing.

True to his word, he was the perfect gentleman, complete with walking me to my door.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," he said. "I don't think I've ever been happier to almost mow someone over in a grocery store."

"Oh, so that happens to you a lot?" I asked sarcastically.

"All the time; you wouldn't even believe it," he laughed.

"I'm glad it did," I said seriously, stepping closer to him, inviting him to kiss me.

He took that invitation very seriously, and a couple seconds later his lips were on mine, pressing gently. His fingers threaded into my hair as he pressed me closer to him while I wrapped my arms around his torso. Before long, his tongue was seeking entrance to my mouth, which I happily gave. I lost track of time as we kissed, and just as I was beginning to feel _Señor_ Rumba again, Alcide pulled away.

"If I we don't stop now, I won't be able to leave," he said breathlessly. "I think I'd better say goodnight."

"What if I don't want us to stop?" I asked.

He looked surprised, but pleased.

"You're not teasing, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I don't mean to seem like a girl who sleeps around a lot. I haven't even been with anyone for two years, and I think if we do four dates it's going to happen anyway. I like you a lot. Nobody's ever made me feel the way you do. So why the heck not?"

He had a small smile on his face that had grown into a large grin.

"Why the heck not, indeed," he said and then captured my lips again.

I reached behind me to turn the knob on the already unlocked door, and we stumbled inside. I tossed my purse in the direction of the living room, and began unbuttoning his shirt as I backed him down the hall towards my bedroom.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked between kisses.

"Yes," I breathed as I undid the last button.

We made it into the bedroom and kicked off our shoes while I got his belt off, and as soon as that was gone, we fell onto the bed and continued kissing.

"Please tell me you have a condom," I moaned out as he kissed and nibbled at the sensitive skin on my neck.

"In my wallet," he confirmed, and my girly parts did a happy dance.

I reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled his wallet out before moving out from under him so I could straddle his waist. He sat up and began kissing and licking my cleavage while I dug through his wallet until I found the square wrapper and tossed the rest.

"There's only one, so we'd better make it count," I said as he unzipped the back of my dress and peeled the straps down my arms. I gathered it into my hands and pulled it off.

"I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said, his eyes drinking me in.

"Oh come on, I need to work out more and bake less," I said with a smile. I was comfortable in my body, and I didn't need to hear that I was perfect.

Alcide actually growled as he grasped my hips and rolled me under him, pressing Mr. Excitement against me.

"No, you don't. I don't see a single thing wrong with your body. You're just how I like a woman," he said.

"And what about you?" I asked, running my hands along his shoulders and down his arms to pull his shirt off. He took his hands out of the sleeves one at a time, and I got a good look at his impressive muscles. There was just enough there for my taste. I didn't like a body-builder type or a guy who looked like he used steroids. Alcide had toned and defined muscles. Like he'd worked hard all his life, not like he went to the gym five times a week, though that was probably the case.

"So what about me?" he asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

"Mmm… I'd say you're just how I like a man, and you're lucky to be the first just-how-I-like-'em I've ever had," I replied in between kissing and nibbling on his neck.

My hands went down to his jeans and unbuttoned them before sliding down the zipper. He groaned when my fingers brushed against his hardness, and then he helped me push the jeans down his hips. He kicked them all the way off, and then rolled us over again so that I was straddling his hips. He had on black boxer-briefs, and the fabric was straining to contain him. I felt like the luckiest girl on the planet, and I hadn't even seen all of him yet.

He sat with his back against the headboard and kissed me as his hands unclasped my bra with a skill that made me pull away and look at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" he smirked. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out how a bra works."

"Hmm…"

I pulled the straps down my arms and tossed the article onto the floor. Alcide was staring at my chest like it was water in a desert.

"Still think you're lucky?" I asked, and he only nodded once before attacking my breasts with his hands and mouth. I moaned and threaded my fingers into his hair as he sucked and nibbled on them, and my hips ground rhythmically against his erection. When I was finally able to pull his head away from my chest, I moved down on the bed and pulled his last piece of clothing off. As soon as I saw what was being restrained, I grinned.

"When was the last time you had sex?" I asked as I grasped him in my hand.

"Four months ago," he groaned out and breathed more heavily as I began to stroke him.

"And have you been tested since then?"

"No, but I'll go tomorrow if you want," he said, placing a hand on my wrist to stop me so I would see that he was serious.

"I would appreciate that. But it does mean no oral for you tonight," I smirked, and so did he.

"The last time for you was two years ago, right?" he asked after rolling me under him once again.

"Correct, and yes, I was tested. I'm clean."

"Well, I guess oral's not out of the question for you then," he said heatedly as he kissed me from my collarbone to my navel.

His fingers dipped under the elastic of my underwear and he slowly pulled them off before tossing them over his shoulder as he sat back on his knees to take all of me in. I stared at his face nervously because no matter how comfortable you are with your body, being completely naked in front of someone for the first time is still a nerve-racking moment.

He grinned and touched me with his hand gently. I closed my eyes, and my breathing picked up. The next thing I knew, I was feeling his warm breath against my center and his hair brushing against my thigh. He hitched my thighs up onto his broad shoulders, and in the next second, he was devouring me.

"Ohmygod," I cried out as my head fell back onto my pillow and my hands went into his hair.

He was animalistic with it in a way, growling and relentless. He wasn't just talented with his lips and tongue while kissing, and when he brought his hand into the mix… let's just say I felt myself getting very close in no time at all and pushed his head away from me.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a hazy look in his eyes as he stared into mine.

"Nothing," I said, embarrassed that I was about to explain what I was about to explain. "I'm just very close, and the only way I've ever been able to… you know… during, is if I'm already close first."

He continued to stare at me, and then he said, "I think you underestimate my abilities," before going right back to it with even more drive. I came moments later, moaning in pleasure.

Alcide sat up and licked his lips before wiping his mouth and chin off on the back of his hand.

"You are exquisite," he said, and I could only nod. When he finally broke from my gaze, he began looking around the bed for something. "Where's the condom?"

"Oh, um… I just had it," I mumbled and began to look with him. He ended up finding it under one of the pillows and let out a triumphant "Aha!" when he did, which made me laugh.

"Where were we?" he asked after he rolled it on and found his place above me again.

"I believe you were just going to show me some of those underestimated abilities," I answered.

"You still sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"I'm positive," I said, and then he kissed me.

I felt him reach down and position himself before he slowly pushed in. He kept his mouth on my neck as he worked deeper and deeper, and I found my hips working in time with his. I was being stretched further than I'd even been, but it was so freaking good. He let out a groan when he filled me completely, and I began to move my hips against him, desperate for some friction.

"Gimme a second," he whispered in my ear, placing a stilling hand on my hip. "I've been in a constant state of arousal all night; I don't want to act like a teenager here."

I stopped moving and kissed him. It took him a minute or so, but he finally began moving his hips slowly. Our breathing picked up speed, and when he finally started to thrust, I moved my hips to meet him. He was hitting spots in me that I wasn't aware I had. I cried out a little with every forward thrust, lost in the building sensations I was feeling. We kept at it just like that for a bit, and then he surprised me by getting up on his knees.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he grabbed a couple of my pillows.

"Showing you my abilities," he said, smirking as he stuffed the pillows under my elevated butt.

When he got me to the right height, he grasped my hips and started thrusting again. The new angle was heaven, and for the first time ever, I felt myself climbing the ladder to ecstasy without being on the edge already. One of his Alcide's hands went up to my breasts and began pinching and tweaking my nipples, and I began to climb higher.

"Oh god," I moaned when he took that hand back down and used it to rub my clit.

Three more strong thrusts and I was done for. I screamed as I came, and my whole body stiffened. Alcide kept going, and a handful of thrusts later, he was doing some screaming of his own, only it was more like a large animal growling. It was my new favorite sound.

We stayed clenched for a few seconds, and then he pulled out and removed the pillows from underneath me. I watched him look around for a second, presumably searching for a box of tissues or something, and then he got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. He returned condom-free and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Feeling cocky?" I asked as he climbed back onto the bed.

"Yes," he answered honestly, causing me to laugh.

"I suppose you do have good reason."

He chuckled and grabbed one of the pillows to put under his head.

"So tell me… why two years?" he asked.

"Oh, we're on pillow talk now? I need a blanket for this," I said, and sat up to pull the one I kept at the end of the bed up onto us. "Two years… I just didn't meet anyone special, I suppose."

"How many boyfriends have you had?" he asked, and put his hand on my hip under the blanket.

"Two," I answered. "Do you want to hear about them?"

"Yes," he said.

"You men, always wanting to know the competition," I laughed.

"They're not competition anymore; I just want to know how stupid they were to have let you get away, and it's always good to hear about how bad they were in bed."

I smiled. "The first was John Quinn. Quinn's a good guy, and he did pretty well in bed. It was never mind-blowing or fantastic or anything, but I was almost always satisfied."

"He was the first?"

"Yes. We were together for almost a year, but he had to move out of state for his job, and didn't ask me to go with him. I wouldn't have if he'd asked. We just didn't really love each other."

"Who was the second?"

"Bill Compton, my neighbor. He lives just across the graveyard."

"Still?" he asked, pulling my hip closer.

"Yes, still, but don't worry."

"I'm not worried. What happened with him?"

"We met about four years ago when he moved here. He was so different from the guys around town. Very much a southern gentleman. We were friends for a while before he asked me on a date, and then we were together until two years ago."

"And how was he in bed?" he asked.

"He was wonderful," I said honestly. Alcide looked at me skeptically. "He was! He was caring and attentive, the first to make me… you know… during."

"Then what happened?"

"Once the newness wore off on the dating part of our relationship, we began having sex, and when the newness of that wore off, we grew apart. After a while, we both realized that we were really just sleeping together, and decided that we were better as friends."

"No benefits?"

"Nope, I don't really mind the idea of friends with benefits, but it's not for me. I can't have sex without feelings."

"Interesting," he said.

"Okay, now what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, I've told you about my past boyfriends, and I want to know about yours. Who was Miss-Four-Months-Ago?" I asked with a teasing grin.

"It was Debbie," he said, and he wasn't smiling.

"The ex that was at the restaurant tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm not proud of it, but I hadn't had sex for about eight months at that point, and she told me she'd broken up with her boyfriend when they'd actually just gotten engaged. She's a vile, pathetic, cruel person."

"Why were you ever with someone like that?"

"We've kind of had this ridiculous on and off, soap opera drama type relationship for the better part of the last ten years. It's not a healthy relationship by any means, and it never was. We'd be very happy for a while and then ready to kill each other, so we'd break up, but as soon as one of us got lonely, we'd be together again. I ended it for good just over a year ago because I finally realized how bad she was for me, and she immediately started dating the guy she's engaged to now."

"So why the relapse?" I asked. I was running my hand over his chest and neck while he spoke, which he seemed to like.

"It was a moment of drunken weakness. I was holding up pretty well because I knew she had a boyfriend, but when she told me they'd broken up, I gave in. I should have known she was lying. Found out the next day that they were actually engaged and told her to lose my number. Been avoiding her ever since."

"Who came before and in between?" I asked, attempting to get off the subject of vile Debbie.

"Only one before, Maria, and it was just a high school thing. Broke up when college came around, and haven't heard anything from her since. There were three in between, and they were all very brief relationships, screwed up when Debbie would come back into the picture."

"And now me," I said.

"Yes, and I hope I'm not to being too earnest in saying that I look forward to you and I lasting a long time," he said, his grin returning with a vengeance.

"You're not being too earnest," I smiled. "And I hope I don't come off as some kind of easy hussy for sleeping with you on the first date."

"I don't think I could ever think of you that way," he said sweetly, and then pressed his lips gently to mine. I wanted to kiss him harder, with more passion, but we only had the one condom. I'd have to swing by the store again tomorrow.

We kissed like that for a while longer, but both of us began to get sleepy.

"I should probably go home," Alcide said sleepily. I was lying with my head on his chest and my arm across his waist.

"Mmm," I agreed, my eyes closing.

It probably wasn't right for him to be sleeping over just yet, but it probably also wasn't right for us to have had sex yet, so I figured I could have a pass this time.

Neither one of us spoke again for the rest of the night, and in the morning I woke up to a man spooned up behind me and an erection pressed into my backside. Carefully, I slipped out of bed and into the shower. In all the excitement, I'd forgotten to set my alarm clock, and if I was going to be late if I didn't get a move on. A minute into my shower, I was joined by said man and his erection, and my plans of getting to work on time flew out the window. One hand job apiece and an actual shower later, I was rushing around trying to get ready.

Alcide dressed in his clothes from the night before and wandered off to the kitchen. A few minutes later, I smelled coffee.

"Bless you," I said as I poured myself a cup.

"You know, it's a good thing I stayed," he said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"You mean other than because you make coffee in the morning?"

He chuckled, "Yes. Also because your brother still hasn't brought your car, and you're going to need a ride to work. If I'm lucky, you'll also need a ride home."

I took another sip of coffee. I hadn't been thinking about my car. Apparently I didn't respond soon enough, because his grip on me loosened.

"Unless you don't want to see me again tonight," he said.

I set the cup down and turned around to face him.

"Of course I do. I'd love for you to give me a ride to work, and if my brother doesn't bring me my car, then I'd love a ride home as well."

"I think you'd better give me your phone number then," he smiled, and then he kissed me.

"Only if you give me yours," I answered, and pulled him towards the door.

* * *

**So what did everyone think?**

**If y'all like it, I may add a few more chapters, probably no more than five or so, but I have a couple more ideas in my head for these two :)**


	2. Chapter 2

***peeks out from hiding place* I know it's been over a month, and I have no excuses. But, I love you! Also, I just spent the last week writing what I thought was a one-shot, but turned into a 33 page beast, and is now a 6-chapter story. Make sure you have me on author alert so you don't miss it!  
**

**First order of business: I'm up for sale in the Support Stacie Auction! I have two offers. One is a Studybuddies-verse one-shot and the other is a What Dreams May Come-verse one-shot. Basically, if you win you can make me write any scenario you'd like to see the characters from those stories in. Within reason, of course. Also, there's a special offer if the bidding hits $50 where you can make me write a one-shot of your choice in addition to the original offer. This includes Alcide/Sookie pairing ;-)**

**The auction starts on Friday, and goes until Monday, and I hope to see everyone there bidding away for this amazing cause! There are tons of great authors up for auction, so go here to check out what's being offered: **_http://www . supportstacie . com/phpBB3/viewforum . php?f=24 [remove spaces]_

**Regarding the recent business with the SVM stories that were targeted: One of mine was one of them, and I assure you that I have everything backed up, and if anything develops I will let you know where you can find my stuff. That said, I will not leave this site unless FFnet does the removing. There's nothing any of us can really do at this point, and the furor seems to have died down. Just keep reading, reviewing, and supporting the authors on this site :)**

**Last thing... This is my Alcide: **

http://weheartit . com/entry/867218

http://weheartit . com/entry/1069275

**Yup, that's Henry Cavill, and yes, you can drool...**

**Kay, I'm done now... read on!**

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Three months, and a good twenty or so dates later, I could honestly say that I was in love with Alcide Herveaux. After that first night together and that shower the next morning, we decided to wait for at least four dates to do it again.

We made it to two.

I couldn't have felt luckier. The other waitresses at work talked about how they would sleep with a guy on the first date and then he'd never call again. That simply didn't happen with Alcide. We saw each other almost every day, and if we couldn't manage that he would call me so we could talk. Apparently, I'd done something very, very right in a past life.

Alcide was far from perfect, don't get me wrong. We all have flaws. It's just that I even love his flaws. The biggest one was that he was jealous by nature, and we had a small issue when he first met Sam, my boss. Alcide swore that Sam had a thing for me and got a bit possessive. It took me a while to get out of him that one of the reasons he and Debbie broke up a lot was infidelity. He understood that I wasn't her, but he did have an instinctive nature when it came to things like that. I promised him that I would never cheat on him, and while I could tell he was still bothered about Sam he promised he would work on his jealousy issues.

Other than that small hiccup, if you could even call it that, things were going wonderfully. We went out on dates whenever possible, and tried to involve dancing as much as we could. I still couldn't look at the carwash in Shreveport without giggling, and anytime we drove past it Alcide would suggest a repeat, which I took him up on once.

I hadn't met his sister yet because we simply couldn't work out a good time. She had a baby, and if Alcide and I were ever in Shreveport it was usually too late to see them. He said she asked about me all the time, and was very anxious to meet me. To be honest, I was nervous about meeting any of his family. From what I understood, Debbie was from a well-to-do type family, and Alcide's father had wanted them to marry once upon a time. Alcide swore that his father amended that thought after he saw Debbie for what she was, but I was still anxious that he wouldn't like me. I kept it to myself.

Alcide was going to be gone on a building assignment in New Orleans for a few days to oversee final details, so he came over after I got off work so we could spend an evening together before he left. That time included take-out, wine, and one deliciously wonderful foot-rub from him before we retired to my bedroom for some… well… sex.

Sex with Alcide only got better, and I was often exhausted when we were done. I barely remember him saying he would miss me as he slipped out of bed, and then I was out cold.

The next thing I knew I was being pulled violently from my bed by a pair of strong arms that weren't Alcide's. I was disoriented, but I knew enough to start kicking and screaming and scratching anywhere on the intruder I could reach. I only vaguely realized that he was dragging me out of the bedroom. A burglar wouldn't drag a woman from her room, would he? He was yelling at me to stop kicking, that we had to get out of the house. I finally recognized the voice.

"Bill, what the hell are you doing?" I screamed at him, but he didn't answer, using my temporary calm to pull me from the bedroom and drag me to the front door. When we got there I finally saw why he wanted me out of the house. My kitchen was on fire.

I screamed when I saw it and began to fight against him once more.

"Put me down! I have to put it out!" I yelled at him.

"No!"

"Dammit Bill, I'm not going to let my Grandmother's house burn!"

I finally broke free of him and started to run towards the kitchen, but he swung the front door open and caught me again. He dragged me out onto the lawn and held me back from going inside.

"I already called the fire department," he said calmly. "Listen, Sookie. You can hear the sirens."

I took a breath and listened, and sure enough I could hear the fire truck siren coming closer and closer. Bill let go of me when the truck pulled up the drive, and one of the men asked if I had a propane tank anywhere. I told him where it was, and stood in shock as I watched everyone working to put out the flames that were burning the house I grew up in.

I took a moment to be thankful that I'd thrown some shorts and a shirt on before Alcide left. I didn't want to imagine Bill pulling me from my bed while I was naked. He may have seen it all before, but the firemen hadn't and I certainly wasn't looking to give a free show. At some point my knees buckled underneath me, and Bill caught me before sitting me on the ground with him. A while later the flames were finally gone. I was told that the damage was contained to the kitchen, but I would have to stay somewhere else for a while.

"You can stay with me tonight, Sookie," Bill offered.

I wasn't in any state to decline, so I nodded that I would. Bill disappeared into the house and came back with a bag of my clothes.

"I'll wash them tonight and we can take care of the rest tomorrow," he said, and led me to his house. "I saw the kitchen. It's really not as bad as it seems."

"I don't want to think about it right now if that's okay," I said, and he nodded.

We got to his house and I told him goodnight and thank you before going into the guest room and falling to the bed. I had a brief thought about needing to call Alcide, but remembered that my phone was still in my house and he needed to be up early, so I rolled over and went to sleep.

Bill came in and woke me up the next morning to tell me that we needed to meet some people at my house. He handed me some clean clothes and left the room again. I got up and took a shower before getting dressed. I could still smell the smoke. Too anxious to eat, Bill and I walked across the graveyard to my house. The insurance people weren't there yet, so we got a good look at the damage.

It really wasn't as bad as I had thought. The kitchen and back porch would have to be completely redone, but the rest of the house was fine. Still, while we waited outside, staring at the charred wood… my emotions overtook me and I began to cry. Bill tentatively wrapped an arm around my shoulders and then pulled me into him. He was shushing me and rocking me back and forth when I heard a truck pull up. Thinking it was the insurance people, I didn't move from Bill's embrace, and then I heard his voice. It was urgent, fearful, not a lick of jealousy though I was sure that would come later.

"Sookie! Are you okay?" Alcide asked as he ran over to us and pulled me into his arms.

I cried into his chest and fisted my hands in his shirt.

"What happened?" he asked, but I knew it wasn't to me because there was menace in his voice.

"Her kitchen caught on fire," Bill stated with contempt.

"Alcide, stop it," I said, pulling away from him. "Bill pulled me out of the house. If he hadn't spotted the fire and called the fire department I'd probably be dead right now."

I couldn't help but notice the emotion that filled his eyes when I said that last part. I often wondered if he felt the same way about me as I did about him. We'd yet to actually tell each other how we felt. Alcide took a deep breath and nodded to Bill.

"Thank you," he said.

"Would you mind if I took a look at the damage? Save you from calling a contractor out here," he said.

"I'd really appreciate that," I said.

Alcide went into the house and walked around for a while, and then checked the outside. When he came back he was smiling.

"I think we can redo the kitchen and porch in about a week," he said.

"No, Alcide. I can't afford that. I don't even know what insurance will pay for yet," I said, shaking my head. I would not use my relationship with Alcide to my advantage here.

"Then I'll wait for the insurance people to look it over," he said, choosing to forego the argument he knew was coming.

"How did you even find out about the fire?" I asked.

"We get notices when things like this happen so we can take the bids. I was in the office when the fax came in this morning, and as soon as I saw the address I was on my way here. I've been freaking out the entire drive because you weren't answering your phone."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to call you last night but I left my phone here when I went to stay at Bill's. What about the site in New Orleans?" I asked.

I saw the look of jealousy on his face, and was thankful he didn't act on it.

"Dad sent my brother instead. He understood," he assured me at the look of panic on my face. I knew they were a close family, but I didn't want his father thinking I was going to make Alcide slack on his job.

At that moment the insurance person finally arrived and Bill left, saying that he wasn't really needed. I thanked him and gave him a hug again, despite what Alcide may have thought. The fact was that Bill saved my life and most of my house, and I would never be able to thank him enough.

A couple hours and a lot of bickering later, I agreed to let Herveaux and Sons do the work on the house, but insisted that they be paid. I wouldn't allow them to do it for free, regardless of my relationship with Alcide.

"I want you to stay with me until we get your house fixed," Alcide said when we were alone again.

"Is this about me sleeping at Bill's last night?"

"No. Well, yes and no. I know nothing happened with him, and I understand that you had to go there last night, but I don't like the idea of you living with him, even temporarily."

"Lucky for you I was planning on staying with my brother instead," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You'll be miserable there. You hate his girlfriend," he said. He was right.

"Then I'll ask Sam if he's got any apartments open," I said, and my heart sunk when he actually winced.

"Why won't you stay with me?"

"Because you live in Shreveport, and I work in Bon Temps," I said.

"That has nothing to do with it. I would drive you every day and you know it."

"That has everything to do with it! What is wrong with you?" I yelled.

"I love you!" he yelled back, and I clapped a hand over my mouth. I was not expecting that—at all. It seemed to take him a second to realize what he said, and then he took a deep breath and stepped closer to me. His hand gripped my wrist and pulled my hand away from my mouth.

"I love you, and I could have lost you to this stupid fire. All I want right now is to keep you close. Please let me," he said so tenderly that I had more tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"Okay," I said with a small nod, and then he kissed me.

"Let's go get some of your stuff from the house," he said, and began to walk in, but I pulled on his hand. "What is it?"

"I love you too, Alcide," I said.

His entire face lit up, and he pulled me into a much less gentle kiss than before. Just as I was really getting into it he abruptly pulled back.

"You're not just saying it because I said it are you?" he asked, worry etched into his masculine features.

I reached up and smoothed his furrowed brow with my fingertips.

"No," I said. "I've known for a while now. Just hadn't gotten up the courage to say anything."

We went inside and packed up all of my clothes so I could wash the smoke smell from them. I grabbed some things from the bathroom, and then we left. I attempted to start my car and drive it to Alcide's place, but it seemed to be on the fritz again so I had to leave it. Alcide was more than happy to drive me around, as evidenced by his big smile when my engine wouldn't turn over. I asked him to take me to Merlotte's first so I could talk to Sam about possibly getting more night shifts the next week. Alcide wasn't happy about it, but he wisely decided not to argue.

"Do you have to work today?" he asked when I got back in the truck.

"No, Sam told me to take the day to get everything in order."

"Good, we can spend the day together then," he said, taking my hand in his.

"You want to spend the day doing laundry with me?" I asked. "You really do love me."

A deep chuckle came from him, and he glanced at me before saying, "I really do. I know it's only been a few months, but I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"I haven't either. Please don't take this the wrong way, but did you ever love Debbie?" I asked gently. He stiffened a little bit in his seat.

"Why do you ask?"

"You just seemed very unsure after I told you, and it made me wonder if she'd ever told you the same thing," I explained. I never brought up Debbie to Alcide. I didn't like making him upset.

"I did tell her once, when we first started dating. I know now that I didn't mean it. She said it back, and every time we got back together she'd tell me. I guess hearing it from someone I actually do love is a little scary."

"I meant it, Alcide. I've never felt this way about anyone before," I said, giving his hand a little squeeze.

"I know you meant it. I'm sorry if you thought I didn't think so," he said.

"It's okay. I think if I ever meet Debbie though I'll be having words with her."

"No," he said quickly.

"You don't think I can handle her?"

"Debbie is crazy, Sookie. If she sees that I'm happy she'll make it her personal mission to break us up. I'm not saying she would succeed, but she would never stop."

"So you have to pretend you're not happy just because your ex, who's engaged, might make things a little rough?"

"Well, when you put it that way… I guess I just don't want to intentionally tick her off. Let's just be us, and if we happen to run into her, we'll still be us."

"That's all I want," I said. "But I reserve the right to have words with her if she's a royal bitch."

He snorted at that. "If that'll make you happy, Sookie."

"It will," I smiled.

We went to Alcide's condo and spent the entire day doing my laundry and just being together. He was not a very good cook, and hardly kept any kind of food you could make something with, so we ended up ordering Chinese take-out for lunch and ate the leftovers for dinner.

I was pretty tired again by the time we were getting ready for bed, and it didn't take me long to fall asleep, especially when I had a guy like Alcide to curl up next to.

**APOV**

I can't describe the fear the ripped through my body when I read Sookie's address on the fax that morning. The first thing I did was try to call her, and when she didn't answer I almost panicked. I called my father next and told him what was going on. I'm not sure if he could tell how scared I was or not, but he told me not to worry about the job and to go check on Sookie.

I sped the whole drive to Bon Temps, all while calling Sookie's phone. She never picked up, and my mind raced with images that I never wanted to think of again. It's amazing I didn't get pulled over on the way there, or that someone didn't call the cops on me for cutting them off.

When I pulled up Hummingbird Road and saw that the house was mostly undamaged, I felt so much relief I thought I would fall apart. Then I saw Sookie, alive and well, and the only thing I wanted was to hold her in my arms and tell her I loved her. I couldn't even find it in me to be jealous that Bill was the one offering her comfort.

Things at her house went as expected; Sookie attempting to refuse my help, and ultimately accepting it. Then came the argument about where she would stay. In my mind there was no question that she would be staying with me, but she was set on making things more complicated than they had to be.

I suppose I should be thankful that she argued, because it made me confess my feelings for her. I was in love with Sookie. Of course, I'd known for a while, and it always felt like it was too soon to say anything, but finally saying it felt wonderful even if it was in the shadow of an almost-tragedy.

Then she made it a million times better by saying she loved me back. It was the first time I'd heard those words from someone I loved, and knowing that made me ecstatic and scared at the same time. Scared, because I remembered Debbie telling me the same thing, and learned that she never meant it. I knew that Sookie did love me. Deep down, I knew it, but I still gave her an out. She confessed that she'd also known for a while and that was more than enough to satisfy me.

We gathered up her clothes and loaded them into my truck. She insisted on driving her car still, so I was very pleased that it decided not to start. After stopping at Merlotte's so she could talk to her boss about more hours, we went to my condo and spent the entire day washing her clothes. It was heaven. We ordered Chinese and went to bed early. I fell asleep quickly with her in my bed.

I woke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat from the worst nightmare I'd ever had. I kept seeing Sookie in a fire, screaming for help while she burned to death. I rolled over in the bed and clutched her sleeping form to me tightly. She stirred at that, and I realized that I probably shouldn't have handled her so roughly.

"Alcide?" she asked slowly, still half-asleep. "What's wrong sweetie?"

She turned in my arms so she was facing me and smoothed my worry lines out with her fingers.

"Bad dream," I said, hoping I could get out of telling her what it was about, but even I could hear how upset I was. There was no way Sookie would let me out of it that easily.

"Tell me about it," she insisted, sounding more awake by the second.

"Do I have to?"

"If it made you wake up at three in the morning and cling to me, then yes, you have to tell me."

"It was the fire," I said, trying not to sound like a five year old. "You died."

"Honey, I'm so sorry," she said, and wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my neck.

"I don't know what I would have done if you didn't get out."

"Then don't think about it," she said as she sat up. I sat up too, and leaned back against the headboard. "Imagining 'what if' scenarios isn't going to do you any good."

"I know, but it's all that keeps running through my head and…"

Sookie silenced me with her mouth on mine, kissing away my worries. Then she straddled my lap and the kissing went from gentle to needy. All I wanted was to feel her skin against mine, and she seemed to understand. She pulled away long enough to pull off her shirt (my shirt) and then lifted herself off of me to pull her boyshorts off. While she did that, I pulled my pants down just enough, and then reached into the nightstand for a condom. Sookie took it from me and rolled it on while I attacked her breasts with my mouth.

Before I could touch her to prepare her, she placed me at her entrance and slowly took me all the way in. She was more than ready, and simply sat unmoving on me for a short while.

"I'm here," she whispered against my neck, and I held her tighter.

"Stay," I said, and though I'm sure she didn't get my double meaning, there certainly was one.

Slowly, she began rocking her hips and clenching her muscles around me. My breathing picked up and my hands went to her lower back, encouraging her to go faster. I groaned when she began rising and falling at a quicker pace, and then I nibbled and sucked on her neck and breasts. We moved in time with each other, our motions becoming more intense with each passing minute. I felt myself getting close, so I used my thumb on her to bring her to the edge with me. As she got closer I could feel her begin to pulse around me. I added a bit more pressure with my thumb, and she came, moaning sweetly in my ear as she ground her hips into mine. That was all it took for me, and I pressed her to me as I exploded.

Sookie collapsed on top of me, and we both struggled to catch our breath. I placed small kisses along her collarbone and ran my hands along the curve of her back. After a short while she removed herself from my lap and fell to the side while I discarded the condom and cleaned myself up with some tissues.

"You know what I love about sex with you?" she asked, her index finger drawing lazy circles on my abdomen after I'd settled in next to her.

"My underestimated abilities?"

She laughed. "Well, those… and that it's not just working for an orgasm. It means something more."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, with Quinn, I was so inexperienced, and he wasn't the greatest teacher, so it was just sex. Doing something I hadn't done before, and not always getting a reward. With Bill, while enjoyable, it was always just a means to an end. But with you, there's so much to it. Even before the end it means something."

I smiled at her explanation, and decided to confess something of my own.

"You know what I love about sex with you?" I asked.

"What?"

"It's always different, always improves. With Maria I had no clue what I was doing. And it was always the same with Debbie. All she ever wanted was rough, hate sex. To me, rough sex is like a spice that you rarely use, so when you do it's phenomenal. Debbie wanted that spice as an appetizer, the main course, and dessert."

"You and I have never had rough sex," she said as an observation.

"That's because we've never been livid with each other. You can't just decide to do it and do it. It's all about the mood. With Debbie, we were always fighting, and she would channel that into sex."

"You think we'd have to fight to have it?"

"No, I'm sure it can still be had without fighting, that was just always how it happened with her."

"Very interesting," she said, and I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head.

"You know what else I love about sex with you?" I asked.

"How amazing I am?"

"Yes, that. Also everything you love about it with me. On top of all that, I've always felt a connection to you, and it just makes our sex that much better. To tell the truth, I think I've been in love with you since our third date," I said honestly.

"Good to know," she said, and then snuggled into my body.

I smiled at her avoidance of the pinpointing and held her a bit tighter before drifting back to sleep. And this time, the sleep was fire-dream free.

* * *

**Huge thanks to FDM for killing off all my adverbs :) *hugs you tight***

**Can't wait to hear what everyone thinks, and yes, I will be writing more for these two!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **So, where we left off, Sookie's house was damaged in a fire, but Bill pulled her out before she could get hurt. Alcide confessed that he loves her, and she said it back. There were love lemons, and Sookie is now staying with Alcide until her house is fixed.

* * *

"I have a favor to ask of you," I told Sookie the next morning as she attempted to throw us a breakfast together with what I had in my fridge.

"What's that?"

"Can you call Sam and ask him for next Saturday off?"

She stopped digging in the fridge and looked at me. "That's a good tip night, Alcide. Why do you want me to ask for it off?"

"There's an annual banquet that our company takes part in every year to raise money for New Orleans, and I want you to come with me."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before? Those things are fancy, and I don't have a nice enough dress."

"I didn't tell you because I had honestly forgotten about it. My dad reminded me a couple of days ago because I'm going to be part of the auction."

"Wait, _you_ are going to be auctioned? Like a buy-a-date thing?"

"Yup. That's why you have to go, you have to outbid everyone," I explained, and got up and walked around the bar. Sookie hopped up onto the counter like it was the most natural thing for her to do, and I stepped between her legs, my hands resting on her thighs. "You see, it's only the old rich women who bid on the dates, and I'd much rather be bought by you and go on a real date than be bought by one of them and end up cleaning gutters for a day."

She smiled sweetly and kissed my nose. "Problem, my dear. I don't have the money to outbid them."

I smiled back. "Yes, you do, because I'm giving you my credit card for that night."

She laughed. "So technically, you're buying yourself?"

"Pretty much."

"Alright, I'll go, but I still need to find a dress. I guess I can see if one of the other waitresses has something."

"Will you let me buy you a dress?" I asked, hoping she'd just agree to it.

"Alcide," she sighed.

"Please? I want to. And you can get it with my sister. I'll call her right now and she'll clear her schedule that morning. You can go to her salon and get your hair and nails done, and then you can go shopping with her because, knowing Janice, she doesn't have a dress yet either."

"Will it make you happy?" she asked.

"Yes, it will. I want to do this for you."

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Yes," she laughed.

I hugged her tightly, and then we made our calls to Sam and Janice. Janice was very excited that she'd finally get to meet Sookie, and had no problem clearing her schedule that day.

The only thing I was worried about with the banquet was that Debbie would be there.

SPOV

That next week flew by in a frenzy of work, sex, dealing with my house, more sex, more work, and then even more sex. Alcide was insatiable. I wondered if he was like that all the time, or if it was because I was around all the time. Either way, I'd take it. I was having more orgasms than I'd ever had in my life, and even _I _could see that I was glowing.

Even so, all my orgasm-induced relaxation flew out the window when I woke up Saturday morning. I was finally going to meet a member of Alcide's family, and then a few hours later I was going to meet the rest of them. At once. In public.

Alcide had to go take care of some last-minute things at the office, so I didn't even have him there to calm me. He left me directions to the salon since I had my car again, and I was supposed to be there in an hour.

I got up and showered, and not only could I not stop thinking about meeting his family, but there was also the matter of the fire at my house to deal with. The insurance company and police had informed me that during the investigation, they discovered a starter to the fire, and it was being classified as arson. I was freaked out, of course, but I assumed that it was just someone passing through, not someone out to get me. I didn't have enemies. I decided not to worry Alcide with it, but I knew I had to tell him eventually.

When I got out of the shower, I smelled coffee and realized that Alcide had the pot set on a timer. With a smile to myself, I poured a cup and took a moment to enjoy it with a few pieces of toast to try and calm my nerves.

When I couldn't stall anymore, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. Janice's beauty shop, Clip & Curl, was packed. I immediately felt guilty about her clearing her morning just for me. I told the receptionist my name, and someone behind her turned around.

"Sookie?" the woman asked.

"Yes," I said nervously.

The woman walked around the counter with a huge smile and pulled me into a warm hug.

"I'm Janice," she said. "I'm so happy to finally be meeting you!"

"I am too," I smiled back. She was as tall as me, and very attractive. They could have been twins. She was so warm and open, and I immediately liked her.

"Let's go get you in a chair so we can get to the fun stuff," she said, and took me by the hand to lead me to an empty chair so she could wash my hair.

"All of this is fun to you?"

"Don't you like getting pampered and shopping?"

"To be honest, this is the first time I've been in a salon. And I don't get to shop much."

She didn't look at me with pity, or even look down her nose at me. She simply smiled, and said, "Well then, I'll be sure to make it a fun experience for you."

After washing my hair, Janice led me to a chair at her station.

"So, tell me Sookie, have you met Debbie yet?"

Boy, she got right to the point, didn't she?

"She kind of interrupted our first date, but I didn't see her. Alcide did, and dragged me out of the building."

She rolled her eyes, "That boy needs to stand up to her ass."

"Did you not care for her?"

"Not one bit. She treated my brother like crap, and he was miserable with her. You wouldn't believe the change in him since he's been with you. It's amazing. I'm really glad he found you."

"I am too. He makes me really happy," I smiled.

"So," she smiled, "what should we do with your hair?"

"I don't know much about hair-styles."

"Let's start with a trim, how's that?"

"Okay, but just a little."

She laughed and grabbed her scissors, and as she started on my hair, we fell into an easy conversation. She told me old, embarrassing stories about Alcide, and I told her new, embarrassing stories about Alcide. We talked about my baking business, and she told me about her little baby boy. By the time we left the shop, I could tell we would be friends.

We decided on curling my hair into wide ringlets that would be relaxed by the time the banquet came around, and if my dress required an up do, Janice could still work with it. She took me to a fancy dress shop, and we started browsing. I kept falling in love with dress after dress, but then I would look at the price tag and want to cry.

"Sookie, you need to imagine that every price tag says zero, okay? Alcide doesn't mind, I promise. You just find something you like," Janice told me when she caught me rejecting another dress after looking at the price.

I took her advice, but I still couldn't help but feel guilty as heck that Alcide was spending hundreds of dollars on me. As we shopped, Janice told me what I could expect at the banquet. I was getting a little nervous that so many important people from the state would be there, and she could tell.

"You just stick by me and Alcide and you'll be fine. I think our brother will love you too, and our parents," she said sweetly when we made our way to the shoe section.

With one last hug, we went our separate ways after getting the shoes, and I had a smile on my face the whole way back to Alcide's condo. He was home when I got back, and came running to the door when he heard it open.

"How'd it go?" he asked, taking my garment bag from me and hanging it on the front closet door.

"It was great! I love your sister. She's amazing," I said, and he wrapped me in a hug and spun me around.

"She loves you too," he said, leading me to the couch. He sat down and I straddled his lap.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, she called as soon as you two separated. She said if I fuck this up she'll rip my balls off herself."

I laughed. "What do you think of my hair? I have to separate the curls a bit later, but it'll be wonderful at the banquet. And you bought me a really nice dress."

"I did, did I?" he grinned. "And I love your hair."

"Yes, and shoes."

"Shoes too, huh?"

"I'll have to figure out a way to pay you back."

"I can think of something right now," he said and kissed me.

I pulled away only to warn him not to screw up my hair, and I didn't come up for air again for an hour.

"We really need to get ready," I said as we lay there.

"Good thing we're already naked then," he laughed.

A half hour later I was fixing my hair and Alcide was getting out of the shower.

"Your suit is hanging on the closet door, and I laid out a tie for you," I told him as I continued to mess with my hair. I saw the look on his face through the mirror and turned around. "Oh my god, I sound like a wife. I'm sorry, you can pick out your own tie." My face flushed and I turned back around, forgetting that he could see me in the mirror anyway. I had my eyes closed and felt him press himself against me from behind. He swept my hair to the side and placed a kiss on my neck.

"Don't apologize. I like that you were taking care of me, it just surprised me is all," he said. "And I really like the dress I bought you."

I smiled and turned around to face him.

"Thank you," I said, and then I kissed him.

His skin was still warm from the hot water, and he smelled amazing. I let my hands run down his chest and across his abs to the top of the towel that was wrapped around his waist. He broke away quickly.

"If the towel comes off we will be late, and I can't guarantee your hair would still look nice," he panted.

I removed my hands and pushed on his chest.

"You better go get ready then, because if I see that towel come off, then we'll be skipping the whole event."

He smirked, "You know I'll be thinking about fucking you all night, right?"

"That's the plan," I smirked back.

Another half hour and we were getting into Alcide's truck and on our way to the banquet. I was quiet the whole way there because of my nerves, and when we got there, Alcide reached over and took my hand.

"It'll be okay, I promise. They'll all love you."

His touch and his words calmed me instantly, and I took a deep breath.

"Okay, let's go."

As soon as we entered the hall, I heard someone yell my name and turned just in time to hug Janice as she walked up to me.

"Your hair turned out great! And the dress looks amazing!"

"Thank you! You look stunning, Janice," I said, and boy did she. You'd never have guessed that she had just had a baby.

She leaned in close and whispered, "Spanx."

"Sookie, I'd like you to meet my husband, Joe," she said, waving over a tall, handsome man with light brown hair. He looked at Janice like she was the only woman in the room, and politely shook my hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, Joe," I said.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sookie."

Alcide, who was standing next to me, suddenly stiffened, and I looked up at him. Janice noticed too, and looked off in the direction he was looking before rolling her eyes and letting out a sigh. I looked too, and saw that they were both staring at a woman who was the opposite of me in every way. She was taller than me, with jet black hair, and a very slim figure.

Janice snapped her fingers in front of Alcide's face and he looked at her, annoyed.

"I swear if you let her ruin tonight, I will kick you in the nuts."

Alcide rolled his eyes at her, and then turned to me.

"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked. I didn't like the look in his eyes. He wasn't looking at me the same as he was before he caught sight of the woman I assumed to be Debbie.

"Just water, sweetie. I'm too nervous to drink," I said. He smiled, and began to walk away, but I caught his hand and squeezed it. "Hey," I said, "I love you."

His expression relaxed somewhat, and he squeezed back. "Love you too."

After he walked away I turned to Janice with a 'what the fuck' look.

She sighed. "Yes, that's Debbie. Please forgive him for acting like that. They had quite the toxic relationship."

"So I've heard," I said.

"Come on, let's go get to our seats. Mom and Dad will be here soon, and Aiden shouldn't be long."

Alcide came back with a bottle of water for me, and he had a half-gone scotch in his hand. As soon as he sat down I leaned into him and spoke quietly.

"I understand that tonight will be tense, but you _cannot_ get drunk and make me deal with meeting your family for the first time alone. Don't let her ruin this." I'm assuming it was the stress of everything, but I really was angry when I said it, and I think that's what got to him more than anything. He hadn't really seen me angry. He set his drink down, and brought his hands up to my face as he kissed me gently.

"I'm sorry. You're right," he whispered. "I'll stick with water the rest of the night, okay?"

I nodded, calming slightly, and he hugged me as he apologized again.

"It's okay. Besides, I need to keep you sober so we can do that sex thing when we get home," I said, and that seemed to do it. He grinned at me, and just as he was about to say something, the most annoying voice I've ever heard said his name.

"Fancy meeting you here," Debbie said. Alcide took my hand and we stood up.

"Debbie, good to see you again. This is my girlfriend, Sookie Stackhouse," he said.

I held out my hand to shake hers, but she only glanced at it before speaking again. I don't think I'd ever met anyone so rude.

"So the girlfriend rumor is true. Stackhouse, huh? I've never heard of you. What is it that you do?"

"I'm a waitress," I said.

Debbie snorted. She actually snorted. "A waitress? Really, Alcide, you stooped to a waitress?"

"I don't have to defend my girlfriend's job to you, Debbie. I wouldn't care if she worked in a fast food drive through. It just so happens that Sookie also has her own business," Alcide said, and I squeezed his hand in a thank you. I was really ready to scratch this chick's eyes out.

"Oh really? What kind of business?"

"Baking," I said, and she smirked.

"I should have known you liked baking just by looking at you," she said.

Alcide began to speak again, but I cut him off.

"Right, well, at least you can tell I'm a woman. If you had short hair I would have thought you were a man from behind. From the front too, now that I've seen it."

I heard Janice snort from behind me, and tried to fight back a grin. Debbie's hateful eyes darkened a bit more.

"Tell me, Sookie, how do you like that birth mark of Alcide's?" she asked.

What on earth was she getting at? Did she really think that Alcide and I hadn't slept together? From the first date, honey…

I removed my hand from Alcide's and let it trail down his back to rest over the top of his right buttock. Alcide had a birthmark in the shape of a bunny on his right butt cheek. I'd discovered it the night of our fifth date, and as soon as I saw it I burst into laughter. He'd asked me what was so funny about it, and I explained that I wanted to name it Thumper, and the associations of that nickname were too much to ignore.

"I love bunnies," I said.

Debbie glared at me in pure hatred, and just as she was about to say something a deep voice startled me.

"Ignore that bitch and introduce me to your girlfriend, big brother."

I jumped and turned around. Alcide turned as well, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. There was a bear of a man standing there. He was even taller than Alcide, and built like a wrestler. He had kind eyes though, and I felt like I could trust him with my life.

"Nice to see you too, Aiden," he said. "Sookie, this is my brother, Aiden."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Aiden," I said, offering him my hand. He gripped it in his large one, and shook it firmly.

"Likewise, Sookie. It's nice to see Alcide here catch himself a good one," he said with a pointed glance over our shoulders, and then a smile of triumph just after I heard a huff and the clicking of heels.

"Oh my goodness, we're finally meeting her," came another voice from somewhere behind Aiden. He grinned and stepped aside as two older people, who I assumed to be Mr. and Mrs. Herveaux, walked up to us. They both had smiles on their faces, and looked happy to see me.

Alcide placed his hand on my lower back and introduced us with a smile.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Sookie. Sookie, these are my parents," he beamed. I was so happy to see him glad that I was meeting them.

"It's so wonderful to finally be meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Herveaux," I smiled.

"Call us Jackson and Connie," his mother said, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Alright then," I smiled.

I extended my hand to Jackson, and he shook it firmly with a kind smile.

"Nice to meet you, Sookie. Alcide's said a lot of good things about you," Jackson said. "Now if we could just get Aiden here to settle down, Connie's blood pressure might fix itself."

"Not gonna happen, Dad," Aiden said, crossing his arms in front of him.

"I hear Rachel is going to be here tonight. I always liked her," Connie said to Aiden.

"Do not meddle there, Mother. If she wanted me, she would have stayed." Aiden was growing more and more bitter by the second.

"Let's go dance," Alcide whispered in my ear, wanting to pull me out of the awkward conversation I knew nothing about. I nodded at him, and he excused us to the dance floor.

"Want to explain what that was about?" I asked after he pulled me in close. Thank goodness it was a slow song.

"Aiden has an ex named Rachel. Feisty redhead. She was pretty much his match in every way, but he wasn't really into the whole monogamous thing."

"He cheated?" I asked, surprised.

"No, but he didn't stop with the party scene, and he flirted with other girls constantly while avoiding labeling what he had with Rach. She got fed up with it, and left without a word to him to go to college in another state. It was a classic case of not knowing what you have until you lose it."

"Did they love each other?"

"I think so. When they were in the same room, you could feel the energy. I don't think either one of them actually said it, but it was pretty obvious. Rachel was ready for something serious, and Aiden was afraid of it. Simple as that."

"It's never that simple," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard what he said. That if she wanted him she would have stayed. He's missing something, or there's something nobody knows."

"That's entirely possible. I love that you're already taking an interest in my brother's love life. You and Janice could have a lot of fun with that tonight," he smiled.

"I like your brother. And I won't meddle in his love life, I promise."

"By all means, meddle. Idiot needs to calm down on the sowing his oats thing."

"Are you saying that your brother is a man-whore?"

"Yes," he laughed. "He wasn't much of one before Rach, but after? He was screwing anything with the right equipment."

"That's sad. It sounds like he was heartbroken."

"He doesn't like to talk about it. As far as I know, if she's here tonight, it'll be the first time he's seen her since before she left."

"Poor guy. What if she comes with a date?"

"I don't know. Keep an eye on his drink intake though. He's a shitty drunk."

"So, can I ask you about Debbie now?"

He noticeably stiffened.

"There! That's what I'm worried about. Why are you so strange about her? You said you didn't love her."

"I didn't, I swear. There's just a lot of history there. I don't want her to ruin tonight, okay?"

"Okay, but we have to talk about it soon. I feel like I'm missing something here, and I don't like it."

"I know; I'm sorry. Soon, I promise," he said, and then the song ended. We headed for the table again and found everyone staring at Aiden, who was seemingly staring off into space. I followed his gaze and at the end of it saw a gorgeous redhead with a handsome man who was the opposite of everything Aiden was.

"Rachel?" I whispered at Alcide, and he nodded. "Oh boy," I said, and he nodded again.

He pulled my chair out for me, and kissed my cheek before taking his seat next to me. Janice was on my other side, and she immediately leaned close and started whispering.

"She's even more beautiful than I remembered. She hasn't been looking around for him either, and she knows he's here. He's devastated. We have to do something."

"What can we do? She looks happy with her date."

"She's not happy. That's not her happy smile. She's faking it. I'd say she's just as hung up on him as he is on her."

"Let's go talk to her then. You liked her, right? You can introduce me as Alcide's girlfriend."

"Perfect," she said with a wicked grin, and stood from the table. Jackson, Aiden, Alcide, and Joe all stood too like gentlemen, and I about fell over. Color me impressed.

"Sookie and I will be right back," she announced to the table, and gave Joe a quick kiss. Alcide pulled my chair out for me with a confused look.

"You told me to meddle away, so that's what I'm doing," I whispered in his ear.

"Don't let Janice get carried away," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

I was surprised to see how warm Rachel was to Janice, and she didn't once look around for Aiden after seeing his sister. Janice introduced me, and I received a hug just as big as the one she gave Janice. They talked for a few minutes, and we found out that she had just graduated from college, and that the man she was with, Clancy, was her close, gay, friend. And then she shocked and impressed me by leaning in real close and saying, "Is it working?"

Janice nodded and laughed.

"Good to have you back. Teach that boy a lesson, but don't drag it on too long. He's been brooding since you left, and devastated since he saw you walk in."

"Oh, believe me, I won't. I want him just as much as he wants me. I've been miserable the last four years, not that I'll admit that to him."

"We'll keep your secret," I smiled.

"I like you," she said. "Much better than that Debbie bitch."

"I hear that a lot."

The dinner started just after meeting Rachel, so Janice and I had an excuse not to tell Aiden anything. The meal was great, and I got to really talk to Alcide's family. They were such great people, and we all hit it off splendidly. I couldn't remember why I'd ever been nervous about meeting them.

When the dinner concluded, there was more dancing while the silent auction started, and after that there would be the man auction. Alcide managed to find out his number, so I knew to be in the room and ready when he would have to go up.

I hadn't seen Alcide eyeing Debbie since our confrontation with her, and as a reward I was teasing him about what I expected when we got back to his place. We were whispering in each other's ears and laughing when Aiden interrupted us.

"Mind if I take your woman to dance?" Aiden asked Alcide. Alcide did me proud when he replied.

"You don't have to ask me for permission, if she doesn't want to dance she'll tell you," he said, smirking.

"Well okay then," he said, and turned to me. "Sookie, would you like to dance with me?"

"I'd love to," I smiled.

After giving Alcide a quick kiss, I took the arm Aiden offered me and walked with him to the dance floor. He kept a respectful distance from me as we swayed to the slow music. Whether he was doing it to be more respectful to his brother, or me, I didn't know.

"So, Janice tells me that you and Alcide have exchanged the L word," he began.

"Yes, we have. Almost two weeks ago," I smiled at the memory.

"I love a good love story. Why don't you tell me when you realized you were in love with him? Women seem to pinpoint stuff like that."

"Ahh, I get it now. This is the little-brother-figures-out-if-new-girlfriend-is-a-gold-digger questioning, right?"

The look on his face said it all.

"It's okay. First of all, I'm not a gold-digger, I promise. But, I will answer your question, as long as you're okay with some personal detail."

"So long as it's not sex related," he said.

"Okay then. Alcide and I had been dating for a few weeks, and I got my period. We didn't have plans that night, so after working all day I planned to veg out at home. I was in sweat pants, an old t-shirt, no makeup, my hair up in a knot… You can imagine my surprise when your brother showed up at my door dressed in dancing clothes with a bouquet of flowers."

"He always was the spontaneous type," Aiden observed with a smile.

"Yes he is," I agreed. "I told him why I wasn't up for going out, and even though I'm sure he'd made reservations, and even though he'd put effort into the evening, he didn't look disappointed in the least. He came in and made me the only thing he knows how to cook – grilled cheese – for supper, and then he curled up on the couch with my heating pad and me. We watched cheesy movies and talked until I fell asleep, and then he carried me to bed. When I woke up the next morning all my dishes were done, my coffee pot was set up, and my living room was straightened up."

"So which bit made you fall hard?"

"I don't know, but somewhere between him not batting an eye at my appearance, and carrying me to bed, I fell for him."

I couldn't help but grin like a fool in love, because that's just what I was. Aiden considered me for a moment, and as the song ended he bent and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Welcome to the family, Sookie."

* * *

**A/N:**

Do we love Aiden? I love Aiden. By the way, Aiden is Joe in this story, lol. This chapter is dedicated to A_Redhead_Thing, who I made a character named Rachel. Love you sweetie!

Thank you to Clrumbaugh, who edited this chapter for me! You're fantastic!

Since I'm so fail at updating anything on a proper schedule, I've added a status update at the top of my profile. I've listed all the stories I'm working on there, and when I make progress I'll update it so you can see where I'm at. :)

Okay, show Alcide some love! He's gonna need it in upcoming chapters... just sayin'.


	4. Once Means Always

**A/N:**

Okay, this has been a long ass time coming, and I'm sorry y'all had to wait so long for an update. The next chapter is partially written, and as soon as I get the one-shot that I'm writing out of my head, I'm going to try and get back to this. For now, please enjoy :) Thank you to FDM for editing this! I love you you awesome, non-fail woman!

* * *

** Chapter 4 - Once Means Always**

Sookie and Aiden were smiling when they came back from their dance, and as I pulled out Sookie's chair for her, my brother gave me a pat on the back.

"Fuck that up, and I'll kill you," he said.

"What the hell did you say to him?" I asked Sookie after I took my seat next to her again.

"Oh, nothing much. I just told him about the moment I fell in love with you," she smiled.

"You're telling me that my brother knows when you fell for me, but I still don't?"

"Yup," she said, not relenting. "I'll tell you eventually."

"The auction is starting soon. Want to have another dance before?"

"I would love that."

Sookie and I danced to a slow song, so I held her close, enjoying the way her soft curves felt against my hard body. Because Debbie was there, I couldn't help but compare the two in my head. Debbie had no extra fat on her body, she didn't have a great ass because she didn't really have hips, and her boobs were almost non-existent. When I was holding someone like Sookie I wondered how I was ever attracted to Debbie. Sookie was comfortable in her skin. She knew she was hot and sexy, and didn't have a problem having curves. Debbie, however, was still as insecure as a thirteen year old, no matter how much body fat she didn't have. She pretended to be sexy, to think she was sexy.

Then there were the differences in personality. Sookie was kind, sweet, and caring, but she also had a backbone. She stood up for herself, and for others, even people she'd just met. Debbie was pretty much the opposite of that in every way.

As I continued to dance with Sookie and compare the two, I realized how wonderful I had it. Sookie was it for me, and I wouldn't let Debbie get in the way of us. I couldn't.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How amazing you are, and how much I love you," I said, my heart swelling at her smile. I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers softly. Anything more would be considered inappropriate by all the elders at the event.

"You make me happy," she whispered after I kissed her. "I know I'm a generally happy person, but you make me really, really happy."

"You make me happy too."

The song came to an end, and I escorted Sookie back to the table as another slow one started up. As soon as we got there, Aiden stood up and asked Sookie to dance. She gave me a kiss and went with him while I sat and watched. My brother kept a respectful distance from her, and as they danced she seemed to be talking him through something. Then they stopped, and Sookie came back to the table while Aiden walked right up to Rachel.

"Nice work," I said as I pulled Sookie's chair out for her.

"Why thank you," she smiled.

"Very nice work," I said again as we watched Rachel pull Aiden off the dace floor and out of the ballroom. I turned to look at Sookie who had a big, satisfied smile on her face. She was simply happy that she'd made others happy, and it was infectious.

"The auction is starting next," Sookie said. "How high should I bid?"

"As high as it takes."

"You're the last one right?"

"That's what I was told."

"Okay, good. I'll have time to wait in line for the bathroom before you're up then," she said as she stood up. I stood up with her and gave her a kiss as they announced that the auction was starting.

"Hurry back," I whispered, resisting the urge to give her a swat on her ass as she walked away.

My parents came back to the table grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

"What?" I asked.

"She's perfect," Mom gushed. "If you don't marry her and give me beautiful grandbabies…"

"Hold up, Mom. We've only been together like four months. It's a bit soon to be talking marriage and babies."

"Oh hush, you know what I mean."

"Don't fuck it up is what she means," Dad chimed in.

"I'm not planning on it," I laughed.

The auction announcer had just finished briefing everyone about the auction, the things the money went for, who we were helping, and then she called up the first man to be auctioned.

"Alcide Herveaux," she said into the microphone, and I stood up in a panic. "Come on up here."

Fuck, I was supposed to be last. I wondered if she was reading the sheet wrong. A glance around the ballroom told me that Sookie wasn't back from the bathroom yet. I supposed getting bought by an old lady wouldn't be too horrible, but I really had wanted it to be Sookie.

When I got to the stage the announcer gave a brief description of my relevance in society, who I worked for, and what we did for the community before she opened the bidding. There were a couple of old ladies that bid right off the bat, and then something I hadn't even considered happened.

"Five thousand," Debbie yelled.

I stiffened and stared her down, trying to get her to realize how much it would piss me off if she did this. One of the original ladies bid an extra five hundred, but sure enough, Debbie grossly outbid her, and just like that, I was sold to my ex-girlfriend for seven thousand dollars.

I stepped off the stage as the next guy came up, and Debbie immediately cornered me.

"Looks like we have a date loverboy."

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You know I have a girlfriend," I said as quietly as I could.

"That's never stopped you before," she said, taking a step closer. I took a step back.

"Well it's stopping me now. I love her, Debbie. I never loved you, and I never will. We hate each other, so what's the fucking point?"

"You loved me."

"No, I didn't. Now please go rescind your bid."

She smirked. "Can't do that. All bids are final. It's the rules. You're going on a date with me. How's tomorrow night? Be sure and tell your girlfriend that you'll be home late," she said, nodding at someone behind me.

I turned to see that Sookie had just walked back into the ballroom with Aiden and Rachel, all of them smiling.

"You're a fucking succubus, Debbie," I whispered harshly, and walked away.

Sookie noticed my mood as soon as I walked up to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking my hand in hers.

"Someone changed the order and put me up first. Debbie bought me."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone to the bathroom. Is there any way to get out of it?"

"Nope. Looks like I have a date with my ex. Son of a…" I stopped and took a deep breath. There was no reason to take it out on her. "I'm sorry Sookie. It's not your fault. I'll find a way out of it."

"Maybe you shouldn't," she said, surprising the hell out of me. "Look, I don't like seeing you this worked up over something like this. Maybe you need closure. Maybe you need this time with her to see that she's nothing to you, and that you're better off without her."

"I already know all that."

"You may know it, but I think you have a hard time believing it. It's okay, Alcide. I trust you, and I'll be waiting for you to get home." She squeezed my hand and stretched up on her toes to kiss me. "It'll be fine."

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against hers.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive."

Just before we all left for the night, Aiden pulled me to the side while Sookie said goodbye to our parents and Janice.

"Don't do it, Alcide. Find a way out of it, offer to pay the money yourself, something, but don't fuck this up."

"Do you really think that little of me?"

"No, I don't, but what about Susan, or Emily, or Amanda? What do you think they think of you? Do you want Sookie to think the same thing?"

"I'm not going to fuck us up, Aiden."

"Look, I know I'm not exactly a chaste guy, but it kills me to think of how much it would hurt Rachel if I cheated on her. You and Sookie have what we have. Don't do that to her."

"I'm not going to lie, Debbie has always had some kind of hold on me, but I really do love Sookie. I can't see myself doing that to her," I said, and before he could respond, our mother interrupted us.

"Boys?" Mom called over to us, and I quickly went back to Sookie's side.

There was no way in hell I would screw this up.

"It'll be fine. You'll have dinner with her, talk some stuff out, and come home to me," Sookie said in a calm tone as she stood in front of me and buttoned up my shirt. She was still in her robe since I had attacked her when I started to get nervous. I took a deep breath and then I felt her hands on my face. "Hey. I love you."

"I love you," I said back.

"I'll see you in a little bit," she smiled.

Sookie practically pushed me out the door after that, and I drove to Debbie's apartment to pick her up. I was so fucking nervous I was practically vibrating. For the first time, I was actually afraid I would cheat. I loved Sookie, and I would hate myself if I did, but I'd never been able to say no to Debbie. I knew Sookie was better for me in every way, but there had always been something about Debbie that drew me to her.

She opened her door still in a robe, and I know she was naked under it because she failed to tie it.

"Won't you come in?" she asked in a seductive voice.

"That's not part of the date, so I'll wait out here. We have reservations in thirty minutes, Debbie."

She sighed, shut the door, and emerged twenty minutes later in a skin tight black dress, the one I used to love her to wear on our dates.

"You couldn't find something else to wear?" I asked.

"Laundry day," she smirked. "You love this dress. You also love how I don't wear panties underneath it."

"Debbie, let's get this straight right now. I'm only on this date because it's required. I'm taking you to dinner, we'll eat, talk a little, then I'm bringing you back here. After that I'm going home to my girlfriend, who I love, and you can go back to your fiancé."

"You keep saying that, Alcide. Trying to make yourself believe it?" she asked, completely ignoring my mention of her fiancé and walked down the hall to the elevator.

"Believe what?" I hissed as I followed after her. She stepped into the elevator, and I joined her.

"That you love her. You said you loved me once up on a time, and look what happened there. And all those girls you cheated on with me…"

"I never loved you. What we had was fucked up, and when I cheated with you… those were mistakes. Huge mistakes and I have to live with that. I'm not like that anymore."

"All men are like that."

"Think what you want, but it's not going to happen. "

We didn't say anything else to each other until we got in my truck and she decided to continue her attempt to get me to react to her as she wanted.

"Lots of memories in this truck. I wonder how much you've done in here with her. Surely she'd love to know that she's not the first you've…"

"Debbie," I warned. I didn't like thinking of those memories with her.

"I'm just saying the truth. We used to meet up and have quickies in here. In fact, I believe this is where you cheated on girlfriends one and three."

"Thank you. You've just inspired me to buy a new truck."

She chuckled at that, and thankfully said nothing more. I pulled up to the restaurant a couple minutes later and let her get out on her own. I knew I was being incredibly rude, but I couldn't bring myself to be anything but. Not when it could be the thing that saved me.

The hostess seated us at one of those romantic tables, and I cringed. This wouldn't be a fun date, not that I expected it to be. Debbie had a thing for expensive, romantic places. She was very much a typical woman in public.

"Isn't this romantic?" she asked.

"The setting, yes," I replied, and gave my drink order to the waiter. Debbie gave hers as well, and then we looked over our menus. "How is that fiancé of yours anyway?"

"We're not engaged anymore," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

It was probably unwise, but I felt bad for her.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I fucked you, that's what happened. He found out, and took his ring back. End of story."

I hated that I knew she was hurt over it. Debbie loved to talk, and when she was blunt about something like that, it meant she was actually hurt.

"I'm sorry, Deb," I said, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. Big mistake. I never should have touched her.

"It's okay. It was my mistake," she said sadly.

The waiter came back then, and we gave our food orders. After the fiancé talk, Debbie calmed quite a bit on her seduction angle. She used sex as a defense mechanism, always had. We talked about other things during dinner, and I found myself smiling and laughing a couple times. By the time we left, I actually felt like opening the passenger door and helping her into the truck.

"I don't know why you think you've changed, Alcide," she said once we were on the road again.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at how we were in that restaurant. That's just like it used to be. Do you really think you're any different? The only difference is that the woman you're dating now is unlike the ones that came before. I don't mean to sound like the bearer of bad news, but Alcide, you'll hurt her just like you hurt the others. Whether it's now, or in five years, you'll do it. I've known you for a long time."

I stayed quiet and let her words sink in. Was I really the same? Was I capable of hurting Sookie like that? I loved Sookie, there wasn't a doubt about that. But did I deserve her? She didn't even know that she was dating a man whose last three relationships ended because he cheated on the women with an ex. The ex that I was currently out with now. What kind of scumbag allows that shit? I could have gotten out of it somehow. I didn't deserve Sookie, and I was bound to hurt her.

"Are you okay?" Debbie asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I realized then that we were parked in front of her building. I shook my head to clear it, and turned towards Debbie to tell her goodnight, but as I faced her, she leaned forward and kissed me. It was soft and gentle, a side of Debbie I rarely saw. There had always been energy between us, and I felt it again. I felt it, and I kissed her back. It was what I did; I was a cheater. It always came back to Debbie. She was familiar, safe in her own way. I knew what to expect from her.

Before I could register what was happening, Debbie was straddling my lap, and my hands were in her hair as we kissed more aggressively. She rubbed herself against me, and then I felt her hands on my buckle, undoing it, and then sliding down my zipper and searching for what she wanted.

As soon as she made contact with it, reality hit me. I saw Sookie's face in my head, and I groaned in agony as I shoved Debbie off of me. She laughed as she watched me tuck myself back into my pants and right my clothes.

"Get the fuck out of my truck," I growled at her.

"I told you, Alcide. You'll never change."


	5. Loss

**A/N:**

Huge thank you to my lovely beta FarDareisMai2, who is awesome, and full of win. She's honest with me when I'm being an idiot, yet refuses to call me one. It's why I loooove her :)

I have most of the next chapter written, but I'm kind of in a weird block right now so I'm not promising anything. If you don't already have me on alert, please do so because I wrote a long ass one-shot (featuring an awesome Alcide) and will soon be posting it either in one-shot form or in chapters. But it's complete, so no waiting for updates.

**Chapter 5 – Loss**

After I pushed Alcide out the door I took a shower, hoping to pass the time by occupying myself. Of course I was nervous about him going on a date with his ex, who wouldn't be? And things were different with Alcide and Debbie. He wasn't just annoyed that his ex was around, it was like she had a hold over him, and I didn't like it. It wouldn't have been bad if I knew they were just friends with a special connection or something; if they were platonic. But Alcide said that she ran off all his girlfriends. That was what made me nervous. I knew she wouldn't get to me that easily, but the idea that she'd try? That was what got to me. I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that kind of crap on a constant basis.

I encouraged him to go, because I was hoping he'd be able to show her that he just wasn't interested anymore. I knew without a doubt that he loved me, and I hoped she'd see that and back off.

An hour went by, so I fixed myself a salad with the groceries I'd made Alcide buy. I had no idea how that man lived on fast food and still looked like he did. I sat in front of some mindless programming with my salad, unable to stop thinking about Alcide and if he was having a horrible time. I decided to give him a massage when he got home as a reward for putting up with her for the night.

When Alcide's home phone rang, it made me realize that he'd been gone for almost two hours. I answered the phone quickly, hoping nothing had happened to him.

"Hello?"

"Sookie?" A female voice answered.

"Yes, who's this?"

"Sookie, it's Janice! I was just wondering how things were."

"Hey Janice," I said with a sigh of relief. "Things are fine, I'm just waiting on Alcide to get back from his date with the she-devil."

"How long has he been gone?" she asked.

"Almost two hours now. He should be back anytime, I'd expect."

There was a pause on Janice's end.

"Janice?"

"Yeah, I'm here, sorry. Well, I'm sure he won't be too much longer."

"I hope not. I don't want her to kill his soul before he gets back," I laughed, and Janice offered a weak chuckle, but that was it, and then I heard the baby crying.

"Crap, he woke up. Sorry, Sookie, I have to go put him back to sleep."

"Alright. Talk to you soon," I said, and then we hung up.

I'm not sure just what it was, but something about that phone call gave me a sinking feeling. Why did Janice call to see how things were in the first place? In all the time I'd been staying with Alcide, she never called. So why now, when she knew he was on a date with Debbie?

I couldn't figure it out, so I took my salad bowl to the kitchen and settled back in front of the TV again to wait. Hour three went by, and I began to really get worried. I checked my cell for missed calls, turned on the news to see if there were any accidents. Then I heard a key in the lock, and jumped up.

"Oh, thank goodness you're back!" I yelled when I heard the door open. I ran to Alcide and wrapped my arms around him. "I was beginning to think something bad happened."

"Sookie, can we go sit down for a minute?" Alcide asked as he pushed me away lightly, his hands on my upper arms. He looked sad, and... guilty? Why would he look guilty? The only thing he could have done for him to feel that way was… No. He wouldn't do that.

"What happened?"

"Can we please sit down first?"

The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach got worse, and I tried to steel myself.

"What. Happened," I repeated, scared to death that he was about to tell me he'd cheated.

"We kissed."

'We' kissed, not 'she kissed me.'

"Oh," I said so quietly, I wasn't even sure if it came out. "Anything else?"

"No. She tried, but I stopped it."

"Before I think something I shouldn't, you need to clarify. Are you saying that at the end of the date she gave you a peck and you shut her down, or did you make out with her until she tried to pull your dick out of your pants?"

His eyes widened slightly, and he looked even guiltier.

I wasn't that woman. I wasn't going to be the woman that was walked all over.

"Okay. That's answer enough," I said, and turned around so I could get my stuff and leave. I needed to be anywhere but where I was.

"It won't happen again, I love you too much," he said in a pleading way.

I spun on my heel to face him. "Did kissing her make you love me more than you did before it happened? Because if not, then it _can_ happen again."

I began gathering my things while Alcide followed me around, begging me to stay so we could work it out.

"We need a break, Alcide. I can't do this right now. Just give me a few days, please."

"I can't screw us up too, Sookie. We can work it out."

Realization hit me over the head like a hammer. He couldn't screw us up too… as in, it had happened before. I stopped what I was doing and faced him stiffly.

"Those relationships you had in between your time with Debbie… she didn't scare them off, did she?" I asked haltingly.

The guilt I could see in his eyes seemed to deepen as he realized what I was asking. "Not exactly."

I shook my head. "I can't trust you, and I've lost _so_ much respect for you," I said with a raised voice.

"Please don't go. Please, Sookie. It was a mistake." I kept gathering my stray clothes, stuffing them into my duffel bag as I went. Alcide grasped my shoulders and spun me around to face him. "Don't do this. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

I stared into his fear-filled eyes with my hard ones, and said, "I thought you were too, but this? This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

APOV

She turned and kept gathering her things, the pieces of clothing that we tossed around the apartment and hadn't bothered picking up because we were too blissed out. She was removing bits of herself from my life, and it was like she was sticking a pin in my heart with each item she stuffed into that bag.

"Tell me what I can do to fix this!" I yelled in desperation.

She turned around quickly to face me. Her once-warm eyes bore into mine, and I knew then I'd fucked up worse than I could have imagined. Sookie had never been this guarded with me. All the openness and vulnerability was gone.

"You can't! It happened, and there's no changing it. There aren't any magic words you can say to make this okay. I need some time away from you right now," she said, and then she seemed to soften slightly. She stepped towards me and placed her hand on my cheek. "I think you're probably worth forgiving, I just have to find it in me to do it."

Sookie stretched up on her toes and pressed her lips against mine softly for a few seconds before taking a step back. She didn't have tears in her eyes anymore; instead, she looked resolved.

"Remember what one of my kisses feels like compared to hers, and decide if you're really going to let her continue to ruin the good things in your life. I'll call you in a few days," she said, and then she turned and walked out the door.

Sookie POV

I was thankful my car was at Alcide's. I insisted on it so I could run errands if he was gone. I didn't like not having a way to go places if I needed one. Tossing my bag in the passenger seat, I drove home and tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.

Apparently, Alcide had a problem with cheating on his girlfriends with a certain ex. I couldn't believe he'd never told me about it. If he had, I never would have pushed him to go with her. We would have had some things to work out, that's for damn sure, but we could have done it. Now I wasn't sure if we'd get the chance. Could we even come back from it? Could I trust him again? Did I want to?

My brain didn't stop the whole way home, and when I got there I suddenly remembered that I couldn't stay in my house. It was chilly, and there were no walls where the kitchen used to be still. I thought of Jason, but I really didn't want to stay there. His house was dirty, and he almost always had a woman there. God only knew what surfaces were safe to sleep on. It was too late to see about getting into one of Sam's condos, so the only other option was Bill.

"Sookie? What are you doing here?" Bill asked when he opened the door in his robe.

"Alcide and I had a fight and I left. Can I stay here tonight? I'll talk to Sam about one of his apartments tomorrow."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay then. Come on in," he said, stepping aside. "I should warn you though, Lorena's here."

"Oh shit, Bill. I'm sorry. I'll go to Jason's, I don't want to interrupt anything."

"It's okay, that part's already over," he smirked.

"Oh really? Not lasting as long as you used to?" I teased.

"Ha. Ha. Or maybe she's just that good," he retaliated.

"Touché, asshat," I said. "I'll just go up to the guest room and try to fall asleep as soon as possible."

"Need me to wake you in the morning?"

"No, I have a night shift, but thanks. See you tomorrow."

I tried to fall asleep quickly, but instead found myself thinking until I exhausted my brain and passed out. My cell woke me the next morning, and I answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" I groaned out.

"Sookie! Oh sweetie, I could just kill my brother. I slapped him good and hard if it helps to know that. I can't believe he was such an idiot, and he's so fucking torn up right now, and I know that's no excuse but…"

"Janice!" I yelled to get her attention. "Please give me a minute before you start ranting, okay? I just woke up."

"I'm sorry. Go pee and get some coffee. I'll wait. Don't even hang up, because I know you won't call me back."

I rolled my eyes, but still did as she said, and sure enough, when I picked up the phone again she was still there.

"Okay, I'm back."

"What happened between you two? I mean, I know that he cheated with that soul-sucking whore, but I don't know what happened with you two, just that you left."

"He got home, immediately confessed that he kissed her, I figured out that all his relationships ended because he cheated on them with Debbie, and I left. I told him I needed a few days, and that's that."

"So you didn't break up with him?"

"I guess not. I just need some time away from him to decide if I can forgive him and get past this. Although it's a huge part of it, it's not just the kiss, it's that he never told me about his past."

"I understand, and I wouldn't blame you for breaking up with him. God knows he deserves it. Where are you staying anyway?"

"Right now I'm at my ex's house, but…"

"What? At your ex's?"

"He's my neighbor, Janice, and he has a girlfriend that was here last night. We have a purely platonic friendship, and Alcide knows about it."

"I'm sorry. I've been watching too many soap operas lately. I know you wouldn't do that."

"It's fine. I'm going to talk to my boss today about staying in one of his apartments. It'll be fine."

"Will you keep in touch with me? I really like you Sookie, and I still think you're perfect for my brother, even if he acted like a total douche. Just… if you need anything, or want to talk, just call me, okay?"

"Thank you, Janice. Why don't we make plans for lunch soon?"

"That sounds like heaven."

"I know your schedule is busy, so just call me when you know you'll have a free afternoon, okay?"

"I will. Take care, Sookie," she said, and hung up.

I took a deep breath and headed down to the kitchen to apologize to Bill for running in and getting a cup of coffee before shooting off again.

"It's okay, Sook. I just figured you're even more of a crab in the morning than you used to be," Bill laughed.

"Funny. I'm just going to drink some more coffee, and then I'll head out to talk to Sam. I really appreciate you letting me stay last night."

"You still don't want to talk about what happened?" he asked.

"He went on a date with his ex for the fundraiser auction, and they made out. I need some time to think right now."

"Hell. I'm sorry that happened. You were so happy with him," Bill said.

"Does that mean you think I can't be again? I haven't broken up with him."

Bill's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. "You haven't broken up with him?"

"No. I just need some time to figure out what to do."

"You must really love this guy, because I always got the distinct impression from you that if I were to cheat you would rip my balls off and toss them into the garbage disposal."

"With you, I might have," I said, and he rolled his eyes. "I guess it's different. He stopped it before it went too far. That doesn't excuse it, but I found out that he has a problem with cheating on his girlfriends with this particular woman, and he kept that from me. She's obviously got some kind of hold on him, and he needs to work those issues out before he can be in a real relationship."

"Hmm… sounds like you just said it all, in a nutshell. Now take a few days to make him realize what happens with you when he fucks up, then tell him what you just told me. This is his issue, not yours."

"I guess now I just have to convince myself that I'm doing the right thing," I said.

"Sookie, you're the most practical and straight-thinking person I know. You'll figure it out," he said, giving me a pat on the arm. "Now if you'll excuse me, Lorena is waiting in the bathtub."

I snorted. "Alright, Casanova. I'll see you later."

I called Sam and found out that he had an apartment open, so we met up there so he could give me the keys. He didn't ask questions, which I appreciated, and after we got everything worked out he left, and I drove back to my house to get some things and pick up my mail. When I looked through the mail, I let out a curse. Orders had started coming in for the holidays, and I didn't have a kitchen to bake in.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

I really relied on that money at the end of the year. It was an extra boost at Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas that really helped out on extras and my savings. I tried to think of someone's kitchen I could use. Jason's practically only had a fridge and a microwave. Bill's oven was extremely uneven. Sam's was too tiny. Then I thought of Janice. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't like I'd be seeing Alcide while I was there. I pulled out my phone, and just as I was about to call her it rang. I didn't recognize the number.

"This is Sookie Stackhouse," I answered.

"Hey Sookie, it's Aiden."

"Hey Aiden," I said, unsure of why he was calling me.

"Janice gave me your number, I hope that's okay," he said, and he sounded kind of sad.

"That's fine. Is there something you need?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am for what my dumbass brother did."

"It's not your fault. I really hope everyone isn't being too hard on him," I said to be polite, although I really didn't care how hard they were being on him.

"He deserves every bit of it. We all warned him not to do anything stupid, but that Debbie bitch seems to have a way of getting under his skin, and I'm sorry about that. We all loved you, and I sorry he ruined everything."

"Hold up. It's pretty obvious to me that he's got issues when it comes to her, and she knows how to push his buttons. He has to figure all that out for himself. He and I aren't officially over. I just need some time to figure out if I can forgive him for all of this." By the time I finished ranting, I was sure Aiden had the phone out at arms length.

"Wow," he said.

"I'm sorry, Aiden. I think I just unloaded on you. I didn't mean to…"

"No," he interrupted. "No, it's okay. You're right. Maybe it would be better if I didn't hold him against a wall and threaten to hit him."

"Aiden!"

"I didn't actually hit him! He did give me permission to though."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he's really fucked up about all this. He knows he screwed up."

"Good. Now he needs to fix it on his own. He needs to realize that we can't be together unless something changes."

"You're a smart woman, Sookie. My brother would be a complete tool not to fix this and be with you."

"Thanks, Aiden. Now I've gotta call your sister," I said.

"No need. I'm at her place right now. Hang on a sec."

I heard some rustling, then Aiden saying something to someone I assumed was Janice, and then she was on the phone.

"Sookie? It's Janice."

"Hey Janice. I have to ask you for a favor."

"Ask away!"

"I picked up my mail today and I've started getting orders for my baking, but I don't have a kitchen to cook in. I was wondering if it would be alright…"

"Say no more. You work tomorrow?" she asked.

"No."

"Okay then. We'll meet up for lunch and then I'll bring you back to my house so you can check out the kitchen."

"Janice, you are an angel," I said.

"Not really. I just like your company, and it's another pair of eyes and hands to help with the baby. Not to mention all the awesome baked goods I get to taste test," she said, and I could visualize the smirk on her face.

"Thanks Janice."

I managed to get through my shift, and get a halfway decent night's sleep before the depression kicked in. I missed Alcide. Of course I was mad at him for what he did, but I still missed him. I missed his kisses, his humor, his company, his warm body next to me all night.

Janice could tell as soon as she saw me outside the restaurant.

"Haven't you had a wallowing day yet?" she asked after we said hello and hugged.

"No. I've always told myself that a man that cheats isn't worth my tears," I said, and then it hit me, and I actually teared up for the first time. "But he is," I whispered just before the dam broke. "He's worth them, isn't he? Dammit, I don't want him to be, but he is."

"Oh sweetie," Janice said as she wrapped me in her arms. "Come on. Leave your car here. We're going to get greasy fast food and head back to my house for some ice cream."

I cried and sniffled the whole way to Janice's house, and only shut up when I saw her kitchen. It was my dream kitchen. A huge range oven, a flat cook top on the island, giant fridge, beautiful pots and pans, baking dishes, sheet pans… all of it shiny and looking brand new.

"Holy eff," I said.

"Yeah, I don't use it much, but it's beautiful," she said.

"Janice, it's a sin to have all of this and not use it."

At that moment Joe came in, saw my blotchy face, and turned around to grab his keys off a hook by the door.

"I'll give you ladies some alone time," he said, and gave Janice a kiss. "He's sleeping right now."

"Thanks honey," she smiled, and then he was gone.

"He didn't have to leave," I said, but Janice just waved her hand.

"He knows what's good for him. So, you think this kitchen will work?"

"Definitely," I nodded. "I don't think I'll need to bring anything but the ingredients. And of course I'll do clean up."

"It's fine, I've got one of those fancy dishwashers."

A cry rang out from down the hall, and Janice groaned.

"I love that little shit, but man do I hate how he seems to know when it's me watching him instead of his dad."

"Do you mind if I get him?" I asked.

"Be my guest," she said. "His room is at the end of the hall."

I walked down the hall and followed the cries until I found the nursery at the end. Little Joe was crying and his feet were kicking.

"Hey there, little guy," I cooed as I picked him up. "What's got you so upset?"

He immediately calmed down as he looked up at me, but let out a few more little wails until I started singing to him. It was what Gran said she used to sing to us when we were little and upset.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away," I sang, and he smiled up at me as he began reaching for my hair to pull on. "See, life's not so bad," I said to him, and started to take him back out to the kitchen.

"Janice! He's so cute, and he calmed right down when I sang to him," I said as I walked up the hall. "I think he likes…"

I stopped short when I saw who was in the kitchen. He looked like he hadn't slept, showered, or shaved since I'd seen him last, and he was looking at me holding his nephew with a mixed expression of pain, love, and hope.

"Sookie," he said, and I gulped.


	6. Not As Easy As It Seems

**A/N:**

**Important** I've changed my pen name to scribeninja. That's the name I use on twitter, and it's what many know me better by. Also, a RL cousin found me on here... Yeah... Thank fuck she doesn't read AH.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! I'm so sorry for the wait. I've got the next one started. Since I finished writing the last chapter of CITW, this is officially my only incomplete story that's posted, so hopefully I'll be able to focus on it some more. Fingers crossed!

Thank you to my beta, FDM! You make me feel less fail than I am. I don't know where I'd be without you. Oh, that's right. I'd still be switching tenses every other sentence, and improperly using basic grammar. Got it :)

_Recap: Last chapter left off with Sookie at Janice's house to check out her kitchen, and Alcide happened to stop by. This chapter picks up in Alcide's POV._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 6 - Not As Easy As It Seems**_  
_

I walked into Janice's house without knocking, like I always did, and found her leaning on the kitchen counter listening to the baby monitor.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Alcide! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk. Is little Joe up?" I asked, gesturing to the monitor. She nodded and turned up the volume. I heard a woman singing on it, and wondered when Janice hired a nanny, and then the woman said, "See? Life's not so bad." It was Sookie.

Janice smirked at me, but before I could ask what was going on we heard Sookie coming down the hall, and then she walked into the kitchen and saw me.

I could tell she'd been crying, but she still looked beautiful. Especially while holding my nephew. It looked so natural for her to be holding a baby, that it made me ache in a way I never had before.

"Sookie," I said. "Are you staying here?"

"No," she said, her eyes wide as she took in my appearance. "I stayed at Bill's for a night, and now I'm in one of Sam's empty apartments."

I reined in the jealous monster that wanted out at hearing her say she'd stayed at Bill's, and tried to be thankful that she had a place to go and was safe.

"What are you doing here? I didn't see your car."

"Your sister is going to let me use her kitchen for baking. She brought me here so I could check it out. What are you doing here?" she asked with a pointed glance at Janice.

"Don't look at me! He just showed up," Janice said, her hands held up in mock innocence.

"I came to talk to Janice about... you know," I said awkwardly. "Can we talk?"

She was still for a moment, and then nodded. Janice cleared her throat and walked over to Sookie to take little Joe, made a comment about him needing a diaper change, and then left the room.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Not that great," she said, shifting her stance as she looked down at her feet. I didn't know what to say to her.

"I miss you."

She nodded, and I saw her eyes start to glisten. "I miss you too."

"Will you…" I began and then paused, unsure if it was really wise to ask her this. "Will you stay with me again? We can work through this together."

She let out an exasperated noise, and took a couple of steps towards me.

"No. No, I will not stay with you again. I may miss you, Alcide, but I'm not going back. And you know what? We can't work through this 'together.' The issues are _your_ issues, and you need to work through them, and then we'll see where we stand."

"I know I fucked up, but we're a couple, Sookie. Couples work through things together."

"My staying with you isn't going to help anything! You need to figure out why Debbie has such a hold on you, and change it. You can't do that if I'm around, and unless you do, I won't be."

"I don't know how to do what you're asking."

"And I don't know what you want me to say."

"Say you'll come back. That we're not over."

"You don't get it, do you?" she asked. "I don't trust you anymore. All the trust and respect I had for you is gone now, and I'm having a hard time reconciling loving you without trusting you. It won't just come back, and I can't make you change. You have to do it for you, not for me. Maybe it's _because_ of me, but it shouldn't be _for_ me. And when you do I'll see it, and then we can work on moving on."

"This fucking sucks!" I yelled in a burst of anger. "Why can't you see that I wish it never happened?"

"I do see that! Dammit, Alcide! Get it through your head. I know you're sorry. I know you wish this never happened. I know that if you could change things you would. I know you're upset that I'm hurt. " She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she went from her own burst of anger to a calm, calculated tone. "But none of that changes the fact that it _did_ happen. It doesn't change that I _am_ hurt. If you really want us to work out and be together in the long run, you need to turn around, go home, and figure out why you keep going back to that woman. Then you need to change it."

I was angry. Yes, she was telling the truth, saying what needed to be said, but I didn't like it. I didn't like that I was the one that fucked up… again. I wanted an easy fix, and there just wasn't one. I'd hurt Sookie, the one woman I had ever loved, and there was likely some irreparable damage. For the first time I felt like I had lost her. I fucking hated it.

"Dammit!" I yelled as I turned and punched the doorframe before walking out of the house.

My truck spun out on the gravel of Janice's driveway when I left, and I drove around until I finally found myself at my brother's house. There was a strange car parked out front that I assumed was Rachel's. I knew I should have just gone home, but I apparently my subconscious wanted me to get more crap for what I'd done, so I got out of the truck and walked up to the door.

Rachel opened it with a sympathetic smile, and let me come inside.

"Aiden here?" I asked.

"In the kitchen," she said.

Aiden was lying on his back, half under the sink when I walked in, so I cleared my throat to get his attention. He slid out of the cabinet and frowned up at me.

"Hey there asswipe. Janice called. You owe her a new doorframe since you cracked hers when you punched it on your way out," he said, and I winced. My hand still had a dull throb in it.

"Did she say anything about Sookie?" I asked. He stood up and wiped his hands on a towel.

"Just that she was really upset with your display of anger, and I don't mean in the I'm-gonna-kick-his-ass way either. Does it make you feel good making the woman you love cry?"

"Shut the fuck up," I yelled and pushed him against the counter. It was a stupid move because Aiden was bigger and stronger than me, but that was the last thing I needed to hear. He puffed out his chest and backed me into the wall.

"You do not want to push me," he said, carefully annunciating each word. I took a step forward and got in his face.

"I know I fucked up, but I am your brother," I hissed at him. "You don't get to make this worse than it is."

Aiden took a breath and was about to respond, but Rachel stepped between us, placing her hand on Aiden's chest as she backed him away from me.

"That is enough, you big prick! You've made plenty of mistakes yourself, so lay off," she said, emphasizing her last point by poking him in the chest.

"Rach," he warned. Aiden did not like to be told what to do, or poked.

"Oh don't even... Would you like me to tell you the number of nights I cried myself to sleep over you?" Even I could see the hurt and guilt on his face when he shook his head. "That's what I thought, so again, lay off. Both of you go sit down in the living room and talk like adults."

Rachel followed us, and when she started to leave after we sat down I stopped her.

"Will you stay?" I asked. "I'd appreciate your perspective on this."

"Sure," she said, and settled on the couch next to Aiden, her hand on his knee.

"I need someone to tell me what to do. Sookie said that I need to figure this out on my own, and she won't come back until I do."

"Did you really expect her to?" Rachel asked, and Aiden and I both looked at her in surprise. "What? That's what I did. I knew that even though Aiden loved me, he could likely slip up at some point. He liked being single too much. So I left. He needed to change and grow up, and that wasn't going to happen with me around."

"So instead of staying and figuring it out together you just left? I turned into a manwhore because of that," Aiden said, shifting his body towards her.

"Don't even start. I didn't know you were going to react that way, and do you really think you wouldn't have cheated if I had stayed? We wanted different things, and you were a huge flirt."

Aiden started to argue back, but I interrupted.

"Hey! Over here! Guy with the current issue!"

"Sorry," Rachel said. "Look. It sounds like you just need to accept that you screwed up and there's nothing you can do to change that. You want Sookie back, we can all see it. So go home, take a shower, put on some clean clothes, eat something, and make the decision to change. You have to figure out why Debbie has such a hold on you, why you allow her to."

"Because I'm the only thing that grounds her," I said automatically. "Whoa."

"See how that works? Now why do you think that?" Rachel pressed.

"Because she's fucked up. The woman has a short string on her sanity, and I was the only thing that ever kept her from losing it completely."

"Forgive me for not knowing, but what the hell are you talking about?" Rachel asked.

"When she and her sister were young, some men broke into their house. She hid her sister at the top of her closet, and went to find her parents. She ended up hiding because the burglars were in her parent's room, and she saw them murdered. The men never found her or her sister, and she was too scared to move, so she ended up staring at her dead parents for almost nine hours in shock. The maid who came in the morning found them all.

"She got therapy, but seeing something like that can screw someone up bad. She was having sex and drinking alcohol heavily by the time she was sixteen, almost failed out of school, and she was depressed when I met her. There was a connection between us, and I think I helped her out of it, she stopped drinking, she got better, so I think she sees me as her medicine in a way."

"Damn, Alcide," Aiden said. "Even I didn't know how bad it was. I feel a little bad now for being such a dick to her."

"Don't," I said. "There's no point. She doesn't feel remorse for the people she hurts. I don't think she's capable of it. Why do you think she always came back to me when I was with someone else? She couldn't risk losing her drug, and I've been dumb enough to allow it to happen."

Rachel got up and got on her knees in front of me. She took my hands and told me to look at her.

"What happened to Debbie is horrible, but it's obvious that the effect it's had on her is irreversible. You can't help her, and you have to stop letting her think you're some kind of cure. She's not a good person, and maybe that's not her fault, but it doesn't change that fact. Sookie loves you, and she deserves all of you. Take the part of yourself that keeps trying to fix Debbie, and let it go."

"Sounds too easy," I said.

"It won't be. You said that you and Debbie had a connection. Whether you loved her or not, a connection isn't easy to sever. If you want any kind of future with Sookie though, it needs to happen, and it needs to happen soon."


	7. Fix You

**A/N:**

Well... It's been something like 5 months, almost 6 since I updated this. I'm very, very sorry for that, but I did have my reasons. I was finding that Alcide was becoming a character that was hard for me to redeem, even in my head, so my brain took a nice, long break. Hopefully I can get back with this one, especially since it's not got much left to go.

I did want to get this up now, so it is unbeta'd. Please forgive my mistakes.

RECAP: Sookie and Alcide meet in a grocery store and go on a date that night. That date turns into many more, and about three months into their relationship Sookie's house catches fire. She goes to stay with Alcide, and meets his family, but also his nasty ex, Debbie. Debbie wins Alcide at an auction for charity, and when he goes out with her, they kiss in his truck. Alcide is honest with Sookie about it, and she leaves. When they see each other again the next day Sookie tells him that they're just on a break until he can figure his shit out. And that's where we left off.

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Fix You**

Janice took me back to my car a while after Alcide left, and I drove home feeling worse than I had in a while. I hated seeing him look so messed up, and all I wanted was to hug him and tell him that we could work through it, but it just wasn't that easy.

Workers finally started on my kitchen and porch the next day, and I kept wondering if Alcide would show up to supervise, but he never did while I was there. I would go to the house when I wasn't working to get more of my clothes to take to wash, and to make sure things were going smoothly.

Aiden came at the end of the week, and somehow he found out from the crew about the arson and confronted me about it.

"Does Alcide know?" he asked.

"No. I was planning on telling him, but I was already freaking out about meeting everyone and I didn't want him worrying about it."

"Sookie, he needs to know. I love you, but you can't keep this from him. What if someone is out to get you?"

"Oh come on, this isn't an action flick. I don't have_ enemies_. It was probably some delinquents screwing around," I said.

"Your boyfriend has an ex that is obsessed with him, and more than a little crazy. I would not put it past Debbie to have done this," he said quietly, but firmly.

"Debbie and I hadn't even met at that point. How would she have known where I live? Or even that Alcide and I were serious. We only ran into her once, on our first date, and I didn't even see her."

"She's more than capable of pulling something like this off. You guys went to Shreveport a lot on dates, she could have seen you without you knowing. And finding out who you are and where you live isn't exactly hard in this day and age."

"Well what am I supposed to do? They've already written it off as a random act of arson, and there's no way they'll go for that claim, especially when I can hardly believe it."

Aiden sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Just … take care of yourself, okay? And tell Alcide, I mean it."

A week later I still hadn't talked to Alcide, and I was beginning to wonder if he'd ever manage to work out his issues with Debbie. After our last talk I went from feeling depressed and sorry for myself to being angry. I was angry at him, at myself, at the whole situation, and slowly, that anger was turning into a sort of prideful, pissed off attitude. I began to wonder why he would bother with a woman like that. I was prettier, I actually had the body of a woman rather than a stick. If I wasn't careful, I knew my anger would turn into a night out with some friends where my goal would be to prove that I was still attractive. I couldn't let that happen. We weren't really technically broken up.

That didn't last long.

I was in my house, going through my recipe box so I could head to Janice's the next day for a baking marathon when I heard the roar of a truck engine, followed by a sudden stop on my gravel, and then a slamming door. Bill was in the kitchen helping Terry install the new cabinets, and he came into the hall the same time I did.

"Who the fuck is that?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said, and walked out onto the porch. I was met with a very pissed off looking Alcide, who had just come up the steps.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked angrily.

"I didn't want you to worry," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You should have told me!"

"Yeah, well, you should have told me some things too," I huffed, and started to walk back into the house. He grabbed my arm and spun me around roughly, so I pushed him in the chest hard. Bill came out of the house and took a step in front of me protectively.

"Bill, it's fine," I said, but I was obviously shaken. Alcide had never handled me like that before.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Alcide seethed, gesturing at Bill.

"He's helping with the damage from the fire. Are you drunk?" I asked, finally taking in his appearance. He almost had a full beard, and his clothing was unkempt. There was something about his stance too, like he was off balance. It scared me that he had driven here. He ignored my question.

"You mean the fire that _he_ probably started?"

"Excuse me?" Bill said, taking a step forward.

"You're the one that pulled her out. Maybe you started it just so you could be her hero."

Bill started to retaliate, but I shoved him aside so I could do it for him.

"Don't you even go there, Alcide!" I yelled, backing him down the stairs and into the yard. "You know damn well that there is nothing going on between Bill and me, and your jealousy shit needs to stop right now. He is my friend, and he never would have set my house on fire. If anyone has the right to be accusing exes, it's me. Aiden told me about her being crazy, and it's starting to make more and more sense. And you know what, if you ever manage figure out your issues, don't come back to me, because I'm done."

I surprised myself when I said it, and Alcide looked shocked.

"You don't mean that," he said.

"I do mean that. I can't do it. I can't wait around for you to realize that we were perfect for each other. I won't. I'm better than that, and I don't deserve this treatment. Now get the hell off my property," I said firmly, and then turned around and went to my bedroom so I could cry without an audience.

I waited to let it loose until I heard his truck pull away, and then the dam broke. Bill came in after a minute or two with a box of tissues and sat next to me.

"Has he ever been rough with you like that before?" he asked tentatively.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "He's always been sweet."

"You don't have to protect him, Sookie."

"I'm not! There's no excuse for what he did, but he was drunk, and he's probably stressed beyond belief …" she lowered her voice to a whisper before continuing, "and I still love him. I love him, and I can't stand to see him like that. I swear that he was never like that. Ever."

"Okay," was all he said.

~o0o~

After leaving Sookie's house I pulled onto a gravel road to calm down. I couldn't believe that she had just officially ended things. Even more, I couldn't believe I had been rough with her. I'd never laid my hands on a woman like that before, not even Debbie, and we'd had some very awful fights. I picked up my cell phone and called her, because she was the one person who could help me figure shit out, like it or not.

"Hello there," she answered.

"We need to talk, Debbie."

"I'm free right now, why don't you come on over?"

"I'll be there in a half hour," I said, and hung up.

God help me.

Debbie answered the door in a towel, and I'm not sure why I expected her to actually behave decently.

"Go put some clothes on please," I said as I walked past her and sat on her couch.

She huffed and stomped off to her room, then came back out five minutes later in designer jeans and a tank top and sat down next to me.

"Why the visit?" she asked.

"Is your sister here?"

"She's out with a friend at the moment."

"We need to have a talk. I went to see Sookie today when I found out that the fire at her house was arson."

"Someone tried to kill the cow?"

I stood up quickly and yelled, "You keep your mouth shut about her, Debbie!"

She held up her hands in mock surrender.

"This isn't about the fire," I continued as I started pacing. "I've been drunk for the past two weeks. I'm on the verge of being fired by my own father. I handled Sookie today. With as pissed off as you've made me in the past, I never laid a hand on you. I need to fix myself, and that starts with you."

"Just how is any of that _my_ fault?"

"Because everything was perfect until that fucking benefit. I keep going back to you, Debbie. I loathe you, but I keep going back, and it's ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you just told a girl you "loathed" her, and again ask why you coming back to me is supposed to be _my_ fault."

"Because I don't even think of you until you come around. I think about Sookie all the damn time, and it's so hard to even think about going back to her because of this mess. And that's what I don't get. There's so much mess between me and you, but I never had a second thought before falling back into bed with you."

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Alcide."

"Tell me why. I don't love you. I never have. Despite what you think, you don't love me either. So why? Why does this keep happening?"

"Because I need you! I need you to keep me together. You're the only thing that calms me down, that mellows me out. I need you, Alcide."

"But I don't need you," I said, then smiled. "I don't need you, and I don't have to let you have me. Whatever there was between us, it's done. I'm done. Don't call me, don't email me, don't stalk me, don't even think about me. To me, you don't exist."

To my surprise, the look of complete horror on her face did nothing to me. I just didn't care. She did it to herself, and it wasn't my problem.

I left her apartment with her screaming at me, but I found that I just didn't care. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, the weight of the world. I had more important things to worry about.


End file.
